Abhidhamma View: Process of Death

[yawares]

Dear Members,

Abhidhamma View: Process of Death
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SariputtaDhamma/JTN/Mult]

CMA V, p.220: The advent of death is fourfold, namely: (i) through the expiration of the life-span; (ii) through the expiration of the productive kammic force; (iii) through the simultaneous expiration of both; and (iv) through the intervention of a destructive kamma.

Death is formally defined as the cutting off of the life faculty(jiivindriya) included within the limits of a single existence. Expiration of the life-span is the kind of death that comes about for the beings in those realms of existence where the life-span is bounded by a definite limit. In the human realm too this should be understood as death in advanced old-age due to natural causes. If the productive kamma is still not exhausted when death takes place through reaching the maximum age, the kammic force can generate another rebirth on the same plane or on some higher plane, as in the case of the devas.

Death through the expiration of the productive kammic force is the kind of death that takes place when the kamma generating rebirth expends its force even though the normal life-span is not exhausted and there are otherwise favorable conditions for the prolongation of life. When both the life-span and kammic force simultaneously come to an end, this is death by the expiration of both.

Death through the intervention of a destructive kamma occurs when a powerful destructive kamma cuts off the force of the rebirth-generating kamma even before the expiration of the life-span.

The first three types of death are known as timely death(kaalamara.na), the last as untimely death(akaalamara.na). An oil lamp, for example, may be extinguished due to the exhaustion of the wick, the exhaustion of the oil, the simultaneous exhaustion of both, or some extraneous cause, like a gust of wind.
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Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya

[manas]

Hi yawares,

this process of Death could begin for any of us, anytime. Death can happen at any moment.

I have to keep reminding myself of this reality for some reason. It is like there is this wall of denial not just in the society in general in which I live, where death is swept under the carpet as much as possible (one can no longer shop or consume after death - bad for business!), but also in myself. It is an awful thought, the thought that I could be forcibly swept away from everyone and everything that I currently hold dear, such as my children, who also need me, as they are young and vulnerable. But it is possible. And according to the Buddha, it has happened many, many times before, I just can't remember it.

Thanks for posting this reminder of why we must practice the Dhamma always, not just when we feel like it, but always - because we never know the day, hour or moment when death will come.

with metta

[yawares]

Hi Manas, -

I appreciate your insightful comment. Yes, one great reason we must practice the Dhamma, be mindful of the Dhamma "not just when we feel like it, but always" is simply, as you said it very well : "we never know the day, hour or moment when death will come."

[AN 6.19 Maranassati Sutta: Mindfulness of Death (1):] " Whoever develops mindfulness of death, thinking, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up one morsel of food... for the interval that it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal' — they are said to dwell heedfully. They develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the effluents.

"Therefore you should train yourselves: 'We will dwell heedfully. We will develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the effluents.' That is how you should train yourselves."
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Thanks for reading my article,
yawares