The Point of Retirement? Enlightenment, or at Least Calm
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-point-of-retirement-enlightenment-or-at-least-calm-f154749c
Mark Edmundson:
To the Dalai Lama, all of life should contain some preparation for death, but that preparation should become more important in the last phase.
According to the Dalai Lama, you want to leave the world in as calm and composed a way as possible. You want to be fully present at your own passing, with a mind clear and, if possible, not clouded by medications. You want to do all you can to move beyond the very human fear of death and get as close to tranquility as you can. You can do this through meditation. While you meditate you brood on the impermanence of all things, including yourself, and envision yourself as a corpse, lying out on a bier, all life gone. This will happen. It’s inevitable.
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-point-of-retirement-enlightenment-or-at-least-calm-f154749c
Mark Edmundson:
To the Dalai Lama, all of life should contain some preparation for death, but that preparation should become more important in the last phase.
According to the Dalai Lama, you want to leave the world in as calm and composed a way as possible. You want to be fully present at your own passing, with a mind clear and, if possible, not clouded by medications. You want to do all you can to move beyond the very human fear of death and get as close to tranquility as you can. You can do this through meditation. While you meditate you brood on the impermanence of all things, including yourself, and envision yourself as a corpse, lying out on a bier, all life gone. This will happen. It’s inevitable.