It appears Buddha’s explanation of death is not limited to physical death. (breaking up of the body). Can I say my physical death is not more than the breaking of my glass?
“Bhikkhus, there are these two kinds of search: the noble search and the ignoble search. And what is the ignoble search? Here someone being himself subject to birth seeks what is also subject to birth; being himself subject to ageing, he seeks what is also subject to ageing; being himself subject to sickness, he seeks what is also subject to sickness; being himself subject to death, he seeks what is also subject to death; being himself subject to sorrow, he seeks what is also subject to sorrow; being himself subject to defilement, he seeks what is also subject to defilement.>
“And what may be said to be subject to birth? Wife and children are subject to birth, men and women slaves, goats and sheep, fowl and pigs, elephants, cattle, horses, and mares, gold and silver are subject to birth. These acquisitions are subject to birth; and one who is tied to these things, infatuated with them, and utterly committed to them, being himself subject to birth, seeks what it also subject to birth.>
Everything on the list is in fact subject to physical death (and birth) except for gold and silver. Gold and silver are, however, impermanent - they are born in the sense that they arise owing to conditions and cease when those conditions are no longer in place.
Wasn’t there another thread here recently on this topic, or maybe that was at DhammaWheel? I think someone offered a hypothesis for why gold and silver might be included in this list.
Actually silver, Gold and real estate and securities (shares) are the worst. When we have an attachment (birth) to them the death (loss) is assured.
Here birth means attachment. Not physicality of them.
Generally, attachment, aversion, and ignorance are equated to birth.
Perhaps Bhante @Dhammanando or Bhante @sujato or any other learned friend can help us with this.
“Bhikkhus, there are these two kinds of search: the noble search and the ignoble search. And what is the ignoble search? Here someone being himself subject to birth seeks what is also subject to birth; being himself subject to ageing, he seeks what is also subject to ageing; being himself subject to sickness, he seeks what is also subject to sickness; being himself subject to death, he seeks what is also subject to death; being himself subject to sorrow, he seeks what is also subject to sorrow; being himself subject to defilement, he seeks what is also subject to defilement.
Birth, ageing here is another way of expressing materialism- rather than spiritual treasures. Going after material treasures the only thing one ends up with is being back in samsara- having reaped birth, aging, illness, death. Spiritual gains ends with shortening the samsaric journey and not lengthening it.
Other suttas Sn2.4 (Mahamangala sutta) show how material wealth is required for the spiritual path either directly (lay person) or indirectly (bhikkhu) and forms a foundation which allows practice of the dhamma. There is another sutta which I cannot find right now which shows how it is not possible to practice when there is war, famine etc, suggesting basic needs need to be available for practice to happen.
So the bigger picture seems to be (considering practice can also lead to wealth) is not develop aversion to wealth, but to use it wisely for spiritual progress (of others and yourself) and not become a slave to it.
