Tao 12 Markers series # 10: Meditating on the issues of life and death

Though it sounds macabre, the fact that we are actually living between birth and death, and death is all that is left after birth, cannot be refuted or ignored. We ordinarily do not ponder such thoughts, but since everyone inevitably faces death, it seems wise and even necessary to acknowledge and clarify the issue in advance. Rather than focusing on death, however, the whole purpose of this undertaking (no pun intended) is really to help us make more of the life we have now.

Illusion about life and death

Illusion about life and death Most people have preconceptions and misconceptions about death that also include inaccurate illusions and fear. For instance, most people shiver with dread when they think of the body stiffening and being buried in a dark coffin amidst bugs and worms.

But such a misconception is formed by thought processes centered on the body – that your body is “you” even after you die. But after you die, your body is no longer “yours;” it is a chunk of meat with no consciousness and no different from removable clothing. Identifying with your body prevents you from differentiating between the physical body and the soul, the real you.

There is a phrase in Korean, “Hon Bi Baek San,” which consists of the characters for soul, flight, body, and dispersal, respectively. It means that, upon death, the soul flies away and the body becomes scattered. At the moment of death, the human soul is separated from the physical body, which disperses and returns to nature.

So what happens to the soul? Our soul is also a part of nature, as well as energy, so wouldn’t it naturally follow the energetic laws of nature? Just as dirty water in a glass separates according to the laws of energy, with debris sinking and clear water rising, each of our souls will also go to an environment befitting its energy state. It is a law of nature that bright, clear energy and dark, heavy energy gravitate to their respective matching environments.

Another misconception about death is the idea that the moment of birth is the beginning and the moment of death is the end.

However, life and death are like a flickering light bulb: lighting up when electricity is supplied and going out when electricity is cut off. When the life energy of the universe meets the physical body, that is life, and when it parts from the body, that is death. However, just as the electricity itself has not completely disappeared from the electrical line simply because the light bulb has gone out, death does not mean that the life energy connected to the universe has disappeared.

Life energy flows infinitely and is everlasting. The boundaries where energy clumps and disperses are the phenomenon typically referred to as life and death. When the energy is clumped together, it is life; when it scatters, that is death. When spirit joins the physical body, that is life; when spirit and the physical body are separated and dispersed, that is death.

Different levels of death

Different Levels of Death But another important point is that all death occurs on different levels. If a harmful person dies, people say, “That kind of person is better off dead. Good thing he/she croaked.” If a kind and helpful person dies, though, people say, “It’s such a shame for someone like that to pass away.” In this way, based on results of the deceased’s life, each death is perceived differently.

What kind of death do you want? Even if you cannot know if your birth in this world was your choice or a principle of nature, one thing is certain: you can choose what kind of death you will come to. The level of your death will be determined by the results of your life and the level of your awareness.

In Korean Sundo training, the highest level of death is “Chunhwa.” Chunhwa speaks of awakening to heaven within you and achieving completion of the soul to return to the source of the universe from which you came. Because people who achieve Chunhwa have become one with the life energy of the universe that is eternal and has no beginning or end, they know that the common preconception of life and death is a misconception.

Life is like a river that flows endlessly. Nobody knows when that river started or when it may end. The water of the river flows as our life also flows by. Just as the water of the river meets the ocean some day, our life will also meet the ocean in the end. People call that ocean the “ocean of death.” However, for people who know the Tao of Chunhwa, that ocean is the “ocean of life.” It is a beautiful ocean of life brimming with unlimited life energy. Life is not a single short film with an obvious conclusion that ends at the ocean of death, but a beautiful voyage to meet ultimately with the infinite ocean of life.

— from a message by Ilchi Lee