What is death? Is it the ‘end’ or a beginning?

I like my friend’s way of living with enthusiasm and happiness. I have always seen her with a smiley face in spite of what goes on around her. Last weekend I had a bit of my down side. I heard about an accident that killed 4 people. This news triggered my thoughts on death. I felt like discussing with someone who can give me some insight on this ‘dark’ side.

When I met my friend last weekend, she was all smiling. I asked her, “what is the secret of your smile and happiness? How do you manage to be happy always?”. She asked me back, “Do I need a reason to be happy? Happiness is inside me and I access it whenever I want.” That was quite an intriguing answer, I thought.

I said, “Well, I am feeling down today. I heard about an accident that took away lives. I would like to hear about your view on death” She said, “Ok. First of all let me tell you what is my view on life. I see life as a journey between ‘birth’ and ‘death’. When we are born our mind is clear and simple. Life looks simple too. Our needs are very few. We are happy. Slowly we start to accumulate information some of which turns into labels. This ‘I’ becomes partitioned into many labels like doctor, mother or father etc. Based on the attachments we create to these labels, our mind stumbles in the past. Just observe how much of your attention is in the ‘now’.

Death frees us from all these labels. Because of our attachment to these, we have the fear of losing them. That is why fear of death. If we can practice freeing ourselves from the labels before death, death won’t be painful rather pleasant.”

She smiled at me. I asked her, “Do you mean we should not have any relationship with anyone and live like a sanyasi?”

She said, “No. Not at all. Relationship is different from bondage. Having a relationship is ok, but bondage is painful. Even if I have many labels, I don’t have to become attached to any. Even if we don’t want death is the truth that frees us from all these labels. One needs to learn how to be free from the bondages the labels have created. Die alive! Die to our past! Not to revise the past unnecessarily. What do you gain by revisiting your past all the time?”

 Although these are all words but I could read within her lines, the intension or the message it carried. Free from labels! Die alive! Die to the past! These three sentences are still lingering in my ears.