Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

In Vis.M. VIII it is said: 'He who wishes to develop this meditation, should retreat to solitude, and whilstliving secluded he should thus wisely reflect: 'Death will come to me! The vital energy will be cut off!' Or:'Death! Death!' To him, namely, who does not wisely reflect, sorrow may arise by thinking on the death of abeloved person, just as to a mother whilst thinking on the death of her beloved child. Again, by reflecting onthe death of a disliked person, joy may arise, just as to enemies whilst thinking on the death of their enemies.Through thinking on the death of an indifferent person, however, no emotion will arise, just as to a manwhose work consists in cremating the dead at the sight of a dead body. And by reflecting on one's own deathfright may arise ... just as at the sight of a murderer with drawn sword one becomes filled with horror. Thus,whenever seeing here or there slain or other dead beings, one should reflect on the death of such deceasedpersons who once lived in happiness, and one should rouse one's attentiveness, emotion and knowledge andconsider thus: 'Death will come, etc.' .... Only in him who considers in this way, will the hindrances(nívarana, q.v.) be repressed; and through the idea of death attention becomes steadfast, and the exercisereaches neighbourhood-concentration (upacára-samádhi)."According to Vis.M. VIII, one may also reflect on death in the following various ways: one may think of it asa murderer with a drawn sword standing in front of oneself; or one may bear in mind that all happiness endsin death; or that even the mightiest beings on this earth are subject to death; or that we must share this bodywith all those innumerable worms and other tiny beings residing therein; or that life is something dependenton in-and-out breathing, and bound up with it; or that life continues only as long as the elements, food,breath, etc. are properly performing their functions; or that nobody knows when, where, and under whatcircumstances, death will take place, and what kind of fate we have to expect after death; or, that life is veryshort and limited. As it is said: 'Short, indeed, is this life of men, limited, fleeting, full or woe and torment; itis just like a dewdrop that vanishes as soon as the sun rises; like a water-bubble; like a furrow drawn in thewater; like a torrent dragging everything along and never standing still; like cattle for slaughter that everymoment look death in the face" (A. VII, 74)."The monk devoted to this recollection of death is at all time indefatigable, gains the idea of disgust withregard to all forms of existence, gives up delight in life, detests evil, does not hoard up things, is free fromstinginess with regard to the necessities of life, the idea of impermanence (anicca) becomes familiar to him;and through pursuing it, the idea of misery (dukkha) and of impersonality (anattá) become present to him ....Free from fear and bewilderment will he pass away at death; and should he not yet realize the Deathless Statein his life-time, he will at the dissolution of the body attain to a happy course of existence" (Vis.M. VIII).marvel: s. pátiháriya.See Buddhist Reflections on Death, by V. F. Gunaratna (WHEEL 102/103). -Buddhism andDeath, by M.Q.C. Walshe (WHEEL. 260).mastery (regarding the absorptions): s. vasí. - 8 stages of: abhibháyatana (q.v.).material food: kabalinkáráhára (q.v.).matter (corporeality): s. khandha, rúpa-kalápa.matured one, the: gotrabhú (q.v.).maturity-knowledge: gotrabhú-ñána; s. visuddhi (VII).meaning: evident, and to be inferred: s. neyyatthadhamma.meat-eating. Just as the karmical, i.e. moral, quality of any action is determined by the quality of volition(cetaná) underlying it, and independently of this volition nothing whatever can be called karmicallywholesome or unwholesome (kusala, akusala), just so it is with the merely external act of meat-eating, thisbeing as such purely non-moral, i.e. karmically neutral (avyákata).'In 3 circumstances meat-eating is to be rejected: if one has seen, or heard, or suspects (that the animal has