If you have only five minutes to live?

Q & A
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What would you do as a practicing Buddhist if you know that you have only five minutes to live?

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It really depends on the circumstances.

Sometimes I walk around the corner and I ponder about what would happen if I died right there and then.

Would I be calm and free to let it be, or would I struggle and push back and cling to what I had?

Often I feel quite content and if something happens, hey, what can you do about it? I have lived a life and tried to do good whenever possible. It had ups and downs, but overall it was well worth it. Time for seperation is finally upon me, so let’s not make a fuss about it :wink: .

Now, if I had 5 minutes, and if the time was right now, I would walk downstairs to kiss my youngest daughter (she’s sick and staying at home this week) and wife goodbye.

Then I’d take 1 minutes to write a goodbye note (especially for the older one who is at school), wishing them the best and to stay true to life.

And I would probably go and sit. I very much doubt I would be able to have a steady mind, but I would still seat, because it’s just as well to be ready than to be surprised. And let it come. May all human being find happiness and joy in this world and the other…

Now, having writen this response in way longer than 5 minutes, I am feeling quite calm, but I also feel some sadness underneath. I don’t think I’m quite ready to let go of my daughters.

Also, it’s interesting to see that not a single thought went to my work or friends, or familly. Just my daughters, my wife (but not as much to be honnest) and that’s it.

Oh, and I feel like I’ve had too much food at lunch. Or is that a gut feeling coming up from the contemplation of my own imminent death, if only virtual??? Something like being scared may be?

Anyhow, time to get out of that mood. I am still alive, albeit I know not for how long. Thanks for the question @SarathW1, I think it’s a worthwhile excercise!!!

_/\_

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Worry about whether I turned off the gas for four minutes, then realise it doesn’t really matter, so spending my final minute in the sublime realisation of final liberation from gas bills. :laughing:

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Meditate.

There would not be enough time left to do anything useful for other people.

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I had the luck of escaping certain death and did see and knew what was gonna happen very soon (10 seconds). Had plenty of time for some thoughts, but just before impact (truck speeding out of control) the mind went completely still. No fear or dread, just still and present

So if I had the whole 5 minutes, i’ve probably recite the three refuges and 5 precepts

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When I read the title of this post it was as if I did indeed have five minutes. The only thing I wanted to do was meditate. Then I read this:

My thoughts exactly.

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I dont belive in you! …

"The phrase “shot heard round the world” has taken on a different meaning in Europe and in the Commonwealth of Nations, countries that were part of the British Empire and formerly known as the British Commonwealth. It has become associated with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, an event considered to be one of the immediate causes of World War I. Serbian Gavrilo Princip fired two shots, the first hitting Franz Ferdinand’s wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and the second hitting the Archduke himself. The death of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, propelled Austria-Hungary and the rest of Europe into World War I"

So how long do you think it takes to perform a single random act of kindness that could be heard around the world?

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I very much like this death contemplation by Ajahn Brahmali! :dharmawheel:

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How about:

  1. Feel thankful towards those people who you need to be thankful for
  2. Apologize to those people who you need to apologize to
  3. Forgive those people who have wronged you
  4. Let go of everybody…

Emanate the divine abodes in the 10 directions, like a conch shell…

Watch it’s impermanence as the feelings fade away…into emptiness… and wish for nibbana, the cessation of all phenomena. :heartpulse:

with metta

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That’s gonna be a busy 5 minutes :wink: .

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…better start soon… :rofl:

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Wait.

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.
Breathe …and relaaax…

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How the Blessed One Passed into Nibbana

  1. And the Blessed One entered the first jhana. Rising from the first jhana, he entered the second jhana. Rising from the second jhana, he entered the third jhana. Rising from the third jhana, he entered the fourth jhana. And rising out of the fourth jhana, he entered the sphere of infinite space. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of infinite space, he entered the sphere of infinite consciousness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness, he entered the sphere of nothingness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of nothingness, he entered the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. And rising out of the attainment of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he attained to the cessation of perception and feeling.

  2. And the Venerable Ananda spoke to the Venerable Anuruddha, saying: “Venerable Anuruddha, the Blessed One has passed away.”

“No, friend Ananda, the Blessed One has not passed away. He has entered the state of the cessation of perception and feeling.”[59]

  1. Then the Blessed One, rising from the cessation of perception and feeling, entered the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he entered the sphere of nothingness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of nothingness, he entered the sphere of infinite consciousness. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness, he entered the sphere of infinite space. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of infinite space, he entered the fourth jhana. Rising from the fourth jhana, he entered the third jhana. Rising from the third jhana, he entered the second jhana. Rising from the second jhana, he entered the first jhana.

Rising from the first jhana, he entered the second jhana. Rising from the second jhana, he entered the third jhana. Rising from the third jhana, he entered the fourth jhana. And, rising from the fourth jhana, the Blessed One immediately passed away.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html

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Wonder what Buddha thought when he emerged from fourth Jhana.

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I would stop, stand or lie still and be with the sense of sight. I would be with seeing just as is described in the Bahiya Sutta. This practice beings me the most immediate relief. I would want to die in peace and this would do it for me.

““In that case, Bāhiya, you should train yourself thus: In what is seen there must be only what is seen, in what is heard there must be only what is heard, in what is sensed there must be only what is sensed, in what is cognized there must be only what is cognized. This is the way, Bāhiya, you should train yourself.”

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  1. Write a simple note: ‘I love you, please be happy’

  2. Recite 3 refuges

  3. Determine to be reborn where the Dhamma can be realised

  4. Lie down, relax, close my eyes and let go.

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If I had only five minutes to live I would:

  1. Tell my family how much I love them.

  2. Tell my family to regularly recollect and contemplate the certainty of things (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and nonself).

  3. Aspire to become an once returner and to be reborn for the last time in Tusita Heaven, so that I will realise Nibbana there.

  4. Relax, recollect and contemplate on my favourite sets of Dhamma.

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The Dalai Lama was once asked a somewhat similar question; he retorted: “Oh! A silly question!” Then answered: “It will depend on my state of mind then; for example, if I was hungry, I will eat!” :upside_down_face:

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I think it is a silly answer.
Fear of death override all other mental states.