By Sam Phay

During our recent gatherings, we’ve often discussed death – how to face its approach and what lies beyond. How prepared are we? Are we truly ready? Should we cling to the light, or go with the light?

Yet, what if true preparation for death isn’t about afterlife, but about how we react each moment while we are still alive?

When the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths, His intention was clear: to help us alleviate sufferings in this very life.

In our fast-paced society, most of us are highly stressed. Studies show that 75% of us have some form of anxiety while one in four suffers from mild to severe depression – conditions that can become life-threatening. Much of these stems from overthinking. When we allow our thoughts to grow and ferment, they become toxic, poisoning our well-being. But the Dharma offers tools to navigate these challenges. I’ve found the method taught by Sagaramudra – maintaining mindful awareness without attachment very powerful and useful.

Thoughts are just thoughts. They can arise (birth) anytime and if we refrain from clinging onto them, they will just fade (death). Yet, due to our ignorance, we often mistake them for reality, letting them dictate our emotions. Thanks to our teachers, we’re reminded to observe their arising and passing, understand its true nature (impermanence) and letting it pass without any attachment. This practice can ease much of our mental suffering.

We tend to associate the Six Realms with the afterlife. But in reality, we are experiencing death and rebirth, going through the six different realms daily, sometimes even within hours.

Let’s take an ordinary day of Mr. A. After an overnight downpour, he walks to the bus stop under a cool and pleasant 29oC breeze.

As he reaches the bus stop, the bus arrives precisely on time, and he was able to snag the last unoccupied seat on the upper deck. For a moment, he basked in the bliss of the “God realm”.

Twenty minutes into the journey, the bus jerked to a halt as a rude commuter argued violently with the bus captain. It became very intense and was only resolved when the police intervened. As a result, he was an hour late for work. He cursed the commuter – plunging himself into the “Demi-god realm” of anger and hatred.

During lunch break, he was craving for wonton noodles. But the stall was closed for business that day and the next option was to join the queue for the prawn noodles. The queue was moving very slowly, and he became hungrier by the seconds. Left with only 15 mins for lunch, he settled for fish ball noodles, only to find the fish ball tasteless, the noodles soggy and the soup too salty. He left the noodles almost untouched. Returning to the office hungry and dissatisfied, he was trapped in the “hungry ghost realm” of insatiable desire.

As he was about to wrap up for work, he received a very serious complaint from a customer. They found a foreign object in their final product which was traced to an ingredient supplied by Mr. T. He panicked and visions of negative consequences flooded his mind. The thought of losing a key account and compensation for the customer was unbearable. Gripped with anxiety, he was dragged into the “hell Realm”.

This is how we drift through the realms, moment by moment. We have a tendency to grasp the thoughts that arise in our mind as real, whether good or bad. This habit clouds our awareness; fuels distress and binds us to cycles of pain. We can only liberate ourselves from these pains by seeing them as impermanent, unreal and empty.