Lunch chat with PH - chasing daylight

PH called and tell me that our mutual friend AC is dying from Cancer and many of my colleagues have visited him in the hospital yesterday. Today, i invited him for lunch. He asked me whether I have gone to see AC, maybe for the last time. I told him that I am still struggling with myself whether I should visit him. I have not make up my mind whether to visit him or not because my FIL J and my BIL James have just passed away due to Cancer within the last four months. The torment is still within me, torturing me at random. It had been a very painful and stressful period for the past 4 months.

I reminded him of a book which I gave to him a long time ago, "chasing daylight". The author is the Chairman of KPMG International who had died from Cancer. Before he die, he wrote a book about his experience in closure with his colleagues, friends and love ones. He has make it a point in his last days to catch up with the ones he wishes to have have closure. He feel relief and lighter after every closure, just like lifting the burden from his body. It gets lighter at each closure. He learn to live with imperfections and he treat every moment when he is still living. At the near end, he tried to stay alert and he forecast his death. He was wrong many times. He believe the Buddhist way of keeping alert until the last moment and he kept his body at a 45 degree slanting angle which the Tibetian Buddhist believe this is the right angle to have the best impact when we go. If we are alert and ready, the going will be better and we will enter the next dimension in the most effective way.

The day to day account of his last stage of his life was amazing and very touching. He learn to appreciate beauty and he go deep into his inner world through meditation, sunshine and fresh air. He has a lot of guts to accept and face death. If we cannot change the end result, why should we worry about it? We should instead enjoy the moment as it slide to the end. The body might be sick but the mind is not sick. If we make our mind sick that the impact is doubt and will turn you to despair and desperation. We should control our mind to live as normal and not focus on the illness.

In the book joy of living, the author's master also suffered from Cancer. He was very advance in meditation and when he died, he did not feel the pain and his dead body maintained like a normal person for a few days. There was a ray of calmness in the room which he passes away.

I believe if we have great wisdom and we are practisioner of advance meditation, our passing will be painless and effortless.We just switch off and go into another life or return as energy lights to its source.

There is nothing to fear of death and we should be alert and have the courage to face it and see our life to the end as we slip pass the line of no return for a new journey forward.

Namaste.