How to Die

(Finding and Going to Divinity)

Self Inquiry—Readiness Check:

(a) Mark the two teachings below that you feel good about.

(b) Circle the two above points that you think you need to work on.

(c) Seriously ponder how ready you are now to leave your body:

“At this time I am about ______% set ready to go.”

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In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna reveals the essence of His teachings:

“Sooner or later you must confront the fact of your inevitable aging and eventual death. It can become your greatest servant instead of your most feared enemy.

___ 1) Remember Me, Brahman, the Godhead at the time of death and you will no doubt come to Me—your consciousness will merge into My Cosmic Consciousness.

___ 2) At the time of your departure the sum total of all thoughts and feelings during the whole span of your life condense into a single state of mind, a particular mental makeup at that instant.

___ 3) Whatever occupies your attention throughout your life will inevitably be your consciousness at the moment you die, and to that realm of consciousness you go. Then, some time later, that same mental structure is manifested back into the world. This is called your next birth.

___ 4) Throughout life, prepare for your death moment—which means this very moment! Any instant may well be your last. Treat each as the last because your thought at that instant is the foundation on which your next birth is assembled.

___ 5) Live in a state of constant spiritual awareness.

___ 6) Do everything for God. Think of Him every moment. Do your earthly duties well, but simultaneously be aware every moment of the Godhead—then, you will surely come to Me.

___ 7) When it comes time to depart your body, still your mind completely, draw your life force utterly into your spiritual center, between the eyebrows.

___ 8) At the time of death, close down the gates of the senses, place the mind in the shrine of the (spiritual) heart, focus all life-force energy upwards to the center of the consciousness, and repeat the syllable Om, which represents Me, Brahman.

___ 9) It is not just the sound of Om that is beneficial. The act of vocalizing this sound helps concentrate your thoughts single-pointedly on the One, on God.

___10) Absorbed in repeating this syllable, which is in essence the Divine name, you are focused on the Divine—and thus you achieve That.

___11) As the river enters the ocean, your individual consciousness (Atma) flows into the Cosmic Consciousness, Brahman.

___12) This, in a sense, is the very essence of all My teachings! The easy way to merge with Me, Brahman, is to constantly, relentlessly remember Me always, at every moment of your life, ever prepared for the end.

___13) One’s next birth depends on how one’s death takes place. The point: do not hope for a good birth but to aim for a good death.

___ 14) Perfect your life and come to Me—this is the very goal of existence!” – Krishna

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