Is it possible to give away one's lifespan to someone else likely to die at younger age?

I like @paul1’s answer.

Some studies have shown that stress can cause early deaths:
“People in the study who had high levels of both stress and depression were 48 percent more likely to die or have a heart attack during the study period”
https://www.livescience.com/50101-stress-depression-early-death-risk.html

Other studies have shown that mindfulness (MBSR) can reduce stress in some people.
Google scholarly article search: “mindfulness stress reduction”

Mindfulness is not some panacea for a long life, but every little bit helps.

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Hello @Saurabh . I hope that thinking along the lines of the Ratana sutta (found here: SuttaCentral), may provide you with some answer.
Metta
:pray:

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There is the tradition of transferring merit. Meaning the good you have done you share it with others. It’s practiced a lot in Sri Lanka. But that’s not really a Buddha teaching. But the tradition I did see in sutta is that they will say a truth Buddha taught and say at the end May by this Truth may you be free from suffering or recite a sutta with the the teachings with the hope that the person feels better on their bed. The persons mostly are faithful already. That’s why the effect on hearing the teaching mostly worked on them. But during a Buddha is present many such things works. We are in a different time.

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In Buddhism, the purpose is to attain Enlightenment, to become a Buddha. However the Suttas mention the Devas. The Gods are perfectly pleased when we take shelter in the Three Jewels, and many of them are part of the Buddha’s Sangha. If you are looking for a Supernatural occurrence, for a God to save someone you care about, you need only to turn to that God. Such as Narayan, who is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra. In Buddhism we can also turn to Avalokakitesvara, who has Supernatural Powers of a Bodhisattva, you can read about it in the Chapter devoted to Him, in my profile, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds. However, from a Theravadin Perspective, your question may not as easily be answered, but this is not a lack of wisdom in the Theravada Tradition, just a perspective of focusing on Enlightenment. When one is truly wise, they do not grieve for body, because one who passes away is to take birth again. Namaste.

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  1. Life is uncertain, death is certain, why are you certain that they will die at age 35? Is it terminal illness with an estimated time of death? If it is that case, then perhaps the best chance is to have positive thinking, go for treatment, even alternative medicine etc. If it is fortune telling, why are you so certain about those fortune tellers? Kamma is going against fate, so one can accumulate more good kammas to change one’s “fate”.

  2. Along the lines of accumulating good kamma, then get the person whom you want to increase life span to do good deeds. Cultivate thoughts of non-ill-will, non-cruelty. Saving living beings, buy and release live animals who otherwise would go for slaughter (but do it wisely, release responsibly, don’t do it too large scale that it becomes a business model for the people capturing/breeding the animals), go vegan (every meal eat with compassion motivation). Keep first precept very strictly, not even ants/ mosquitos are to be killed (bacteria, virus doesn’t count, so eat medicine if sick).

  3. Donate food to monks/nuns. In our chanting for thanksgiving we have lines of: one who gives food to another, gives to the other 5 things too: long life, strength, happiness, beauty, and intelligence as the fifth. Having given long life, strength and beauty, happiness and wit, one is long lived and glorious, wherever one is reborn. For one who often pays homage, and always respect elders, 4 things increase: Long life, beauty, happiness and strength.

  4. Do guided metta, compassion meditation with the person, regularly, everyday. Add in mudita and equanimity too. For time of death can be anytime, so one can have equanimity when faced with death.

  5. Do the regular health thing to remain healthy. Exercise, don’t eat unhealthy diet or food, keep healthy weight, see the doctor for illness, keep all the precautions to prevent sickness (like covid), don’t get into jobs which are physically dangerous, eg. extreme sports, mountain climbing instructor, police, scientists studying radioactivity experimentally, etc. Don’t get into hobbies which are physically dangerous, eg. bungee jumping, parachuting, free diving into deep sea, etc.

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Dear a Bhante
Thanks for this beautiful answer and reminder to all of us.

I hope the OP will find peace in it. That whoever he is concerned with about their lives could enjoy a mind at ease, happiness and peace towards the path leading to Nibbana. :pray:

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Thank you bhante! Your words of wisdom relieved me a little. :pray:

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Donate a kidney! It’s a wonderful way to help increase someone’s lifespan without a huge risk to your own. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: Other than that, I can’t really imagine… though karma works in mysterious ways… :thinking:

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According to Myanmar (Burmese) traditions, 6 kinds of kamma are believed to be able to lenghthen one’s life span to some extent.

  1. donation of wells/ponds (or water filters)

  2. donation of medicines

  3. donation of monasteries

  4. donation to the repair works of old roads/bridges

  5. donation of growing trees/plants/gardens and

  6. freeing animals to sanctuary

They are based on some suttas or jataka stories.

Shin Barkula, King Vasaba and one Brahmin were usually quoted for those 6 life-span-strengthening karmic actions.

  1. Shin Barkula - lack of illnesses;

  2. King Vasaba- despite astrological forecast of only 10 years in throne, he donated those 6 things and reigned for 42 years.

  3. That Brahmin foresaw his death within 3 years and next existence would be a monkey; so his followers and he himself grew several plants including bananas for monkeys and other animals to eat and live; thanks to the results from those karmic actions, he didn’t die at the right time.

I don’t mean to seek acceptance but just to share the information I have to help you.

Thanks and regards,

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@Khemarato.bhikkhu
Yes you are right but not every dying person needs kidney sir! And I am asking that without weighing risks because I don’t care about risks(on myself) I only wish to have result only! If u know what I mean.

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@ZawNyunt

Thank you so much sir for sharing this! I have read the book called liao fan’s four lessons also…and I am planning to do those things for 10 years minimum.

My only concern and problem now is that…I want to do all these things for another person than me… who doesn’t know these things but knows only that she has 10 years of lifespan left… So even if I do these things you mentioned I wish and hope that merit benefits her not me! I don’t want any merit…I dont want to share in that merit. So I am working towards fulfilling that wish because it is said in dhamma that nothing is impossible in this world and every wish can be fulfilled if only we know how! Something related to wish fulfilling jewel i wanna head in that direction! I would be greatly thankful If anyone helps in this journey…because I am ready to anything.

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13 posts were split to a new topic: Palmistry, Predictions, Psychic phenomena and Fate

Actually, karma means one needs to do by oneself.
In your case, it might be possible to do merits in the presence of her as well as in her knowledge that they are meant for her. Then, you share your merits and she need at least to recite Sadu Sadu Sadu to be a part of inclusive merit.
It is also one of our traditions referring to Bodhisatta Maha Janaka who shared his merits and helped rescue one sailor.

Thanks and regards,

Yes, well… unfortunately, we can’t always get what we want, now can we?

I admire your dedication to them, but we have to balance our compassion with equanimity. We can help some people some of the time, but we can’t help every time, so we have to learn to accept the things we cannot control— chief among them: old age, illness, and death.

Wishing you and your loved one all the best. :pray:

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@ZawNyunt
Actually she is my girlfriend sir and soon to be my wife…
I will include her in every good deeds, preferably I will make her do those deeds I will just provide money, resources, recipients and situations. I am gonna make her give alms to minimum one Arhat the worthy monk… For that I will have to find such great person I don’t know where and how I will get this opportunity and to fulfill these wishes I am trying to follow some precepts.

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Wow very well done sir! Please accept my sautations…I will also do the same for her! Thank you so much respected sir for sharing your own experience!!!:pray::pray::pray:

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Well, I see you’re still super obsessed with influencing other’s kamma, and still believe in that nonsensical fate thing.

You didn’t update here if you taught your girlfriend to do good herself and if she’s actually doing it. And to increase lifespan, might as well donate blood, saving people helps to increase lifespan. Go vegan, buy and release animal life. To meditate on loving kindness itself would generate much greater merit than finding an arahant to give alms.

Also, the kamma power comes from intention, “make her” sounds very forced, try “educating her”.

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@Khemarato.bhikkhu
Yes sir you are absolutely right. But I think the very truth of impermanence makes everything possible… Only if we can…it makes every kind of change possible. So i don’t wish to have this existence forever but I wish for atleast maximum allowed by our world (atleast 50-60 years). I am aiming for that. Thank you for your blessings venerable sir! :pray::pray::pray:

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There is this sutta, where the Buddha talked about how to be together with your wife in a future life:

https://suttacentral.net/an4.55/en/sujato#3.1

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@Khemarato.bhikkhu
Thank you sir I have read that Sutra…and I will apply it!

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