It was a simple fracture. There was nothing complicated about it. But he was allergic to the medicine administered by the doctor. The operation become complicated and he passed away. He was only 15. So was I. I remember the empty seat in his classroom. None of his classmates dared to sit at his seat. Not even when the movement of furniture was called for. His seat remained untouched until we graduated from secondary school. That was my first close encounter with death.

I remember when I was a little boy; I always wondered where the life of the ant goes after I crush it with my fingers. During the science experience in primary school, we took a branch from a mango tree and transplant it. It grew to a large tree. Is the life of the new tree the same one as the parent tree?

We had a short conversation on death on the way home. And you remembered your sorrows, just as I remembered mine. You mentioned feeling numbed by it all. It is understandable. I remember reading: “Modern civilization has attempted to ignore death. We have diverted our gaze from this more fundamental of concerns, attempting to drive death into the shadows. For many people, death is the mere absence of life; it is blankness; it is the void. Life is identified with all that is good: with being, rationality and light. In contrast, death is perceived as evil, as nothingness, and as dark and irrational. The negative perception of death prevails.”

We are taught, in our society to play down death. But death simply cannot be ignored because ultimately, everyone faces death. Only by understanding death can life’s pains be healed. Only by understanding death can life is treasured and lived in an optimum way.

I remember T. We had such good times together working on major projects like the NDPs. He was ever the caring big brother. Once, after a NDP, all the ICs were to write a card for one another. I was too lazy to do it. But T wrote such lovely stuff. And then he passed away. I never had the chance to write him a card. I hate myself then.

I remember ZJ. The closest friend I ever had. My best friend. We were so close that every subtle movement of the eyebrow, every twitch of the lips and we know exactly what each other is thinking about. We grew up together. But we could not grow old together. He passed away when I was serving the NS. And because I was serving the NS, I did not even attend his wake. I hate NS.

I remember TL. My junior in the Gym Core Group. He was the caring considerate man. Always hardworking and determined. An outstanding student who was about to be graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic. And then he passed away. I no longer have the energy to hate by then.

According to the Buddhist view, life is eternal. Hence, death is not so much a cessation of an existence as it is the beginning of a new one. The cycle of life and death is similar to that of the life cycle of food chain, or the water cycle, or any other systems in our ecosystem. Just as we sleep to regain energy for the activities of the next day. Death is the rest, or the return to “potential energy” with is required so that life or “kinetic energy” may be experienced again.

The purpose of going through these eternal cycles of life and death is for us to be happy and be at ease (to have inner peace). View in this light, death is but a natural phenomenon of life. It can be a blessing.

But of course there are those that die young and of an unnatural circumstances. It is dictated in their Karma although such a concept may be difficult for the grieving families to accept initially.

But nonetheless, sufferings are opportunities to eradicate past slanders. Believe that through death, these people will have to opportunity to live their next existence with a more favorable Karma.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo;
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo;
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.