Scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo shared intimate details of his daily practice, emphasizing the importance of death meditation and the realization of impermanence as an anchor of Buddhist spirituality.
Seated alongside Daniel T. Aitken, CEO of Wisdom Publications, and Charles Hallisey, senior lecturer on Buddhist literatures at Harvard Divinity School, at a special live event, Analayo shocked the audience by revealing “the last thing” he plans do in his life.
When asked about the most important thing in life, Analayo said that facing your own mortality can be a liberating experience, something he does regularly and recommends to others as a vital part of daily meditation.
AITKEN: What about the last thing you do in this life?
ANALAYO: The last thing I shall do in this life will be meditation. This actually brings us to what I think is far more important: facing our mortality.
I have observed in Sri Lanka that people who believe in rebirth are still afraid of death. This is why I am not so concerned about rebirth; my real focus is on confronting death. I practice daily death contemplation and encourage others to do the same. I believe this is the central issue, and perhaps it underlies the intensity of discussions on this topic, though it’s not often spoken about directly—our own mortality.
We are all going to die. Not a single person here, or watching online, is exempt from mortality. Whether we are reborn afterward is something we’ll see in its own time. But facing death, accepting that we will die, raises vital questions: How do we want to die? What do we want to accomplish before we pass? What truly matters to us when we face death or sit with others who are dying?
I think these are the far more important questions.
The event took place at Harvard Divinity School on April 21, 2018, and was dedicated to Analayo’s book, “Rebirth in Early Buddhism & Current Research.” The panel explored rebirth, its role in early Buddhist teachings, and its relationship to other central Buddhist beliefs. To watch the full discussion, visit this link.
Complement with our article titled “What Is Death Meditation in Buddhism?”
