When discussing these three topics in the Buddhist perspective it is difficult to treat them separately because they are welded together with certain common characteristics. Devaduta Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya) inter alia refer to them as Divine Messengers. Saccavibhanga Sutta (Majj. N.) describes ageing as, “.. brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of life, weakness of faculties.” Devaduta Sutta describes illness as, “… a man or a woman afflicted, suffering and gravely ill, lying fouled in his/her own urine and excrement, lifted up by some and set down by others.” Saccavibhanga Sutta says that, “the passing of beings out of various orders of beings, dissolution of the aggregates, laying down of the body, this is called death.”
In the Maha Dukkhakkhanda Sutta (Majj: N.) Buddha refers to a girl of fifteen to sixteen years, not too tall not too short, not too thin not too fat, not too dark, not too fair and the sensual gratification one would get from her. Then the Buddha says that the same girl as a woman of sixty to eighty would be crooked as a roof bracket, bald-headed, wrinkled etc. with the original beauty all vanished. Then the same woman subject to an illness, lying helplessly on her urine and excreta and finally that paragon of beauty now dead and thrown to the charnel ground where vultures, jackals etc. would devour her flesh. Lastly, all her disconnected bones would be scattered all over. The way to overcome all this is to give up all forms of craving (lobha), animosity (dosa) and delusion (moha).
Buddhist perspective
Buddha viewed Ageing, Illness and Death from a socio-ethical and a philosophical angle. He had declared that with the arising of birth, there is the arising of ageing and death (jati paccaya jara maranam). With the cessation of birth, there is the cessation of ageing and death. It was a spectacle of these three Divine Messengers that transformed Prince Siddhartha’s life from the sensual to the spiritual and paved the way to his realizing Buddhahood. Prince Siddhartha was only twenty nine years of age when Ageing, Illness and Death created a profound psychological significance in his life. Many of us are well past this age. These three topics should therefore create an awareness, an awakening in us as these are psychological truths, realities of life and not the work of someone up in the sky or down below. We do not ever realize that we are prone to them and look upon life as a never-ending carnival. When signs of ageing appear in us we fail to view them from the Buddhist perspective. Instead we resort to modern devices to dispel ageing, right from the hair on the head to the toe nails. We seek herbal and verbal treatment of beauty therapists to overcome visible signs of ageing by colour-washing and painting our bodies. Yet, the weakness of faculties and aches and pains associated with old age cannot be wiped out.
Illness
Due to negligence, heredity, karma etc. we have to face illness at some stage of our lives. The Buddha understood the gravity of illness and the impact it has on one’s body and mind and proclaimed that the greatest gain is good health (arogya parama labha). Infatuated by youth and good health, people do not contemplate on the possibility of a sudden illness or an accident which may confine them to a bed for the rest of their lives. Illness has a way of untimely interference with life and causing acute pain. A Buddhist is expected to endure pain with mindfulness. The Buddha exhibited this quality when Devadatta rolled down a boulder in order to kill him and a chip from it injured his foot. In the time of the Buddha a monk was stung by a serpent. He reflected on his unblemished virtues (sila) as an act of truth (saccikiriya) which worked as an anti-venom for his recovery.
Tripitaka refers to many Arhants and even lay persons who recovered through reflecting on Dhamma. This does not mean that medicine was not resorted to.In Sotapatti Samyutta, Mahanama Sakya questioned the Buddha as to how a layman should advise another who is terminally ill.The Buddha replied that the patient should have confirmed confidence in the Triple Gem, practise Virtues, bear up all pain and overcome by meditation on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (satara satipatthana).Harbouring hateful thoughts or intense anger deep down within yourself ruins the health. On the other hand, if a calm, peaceful state of mind is maintained, the patient could be happy, even if the health is poor.
Two Concepts of illness
Buddhism takes note of two concepts of illness. Today more people are ill mentally than physically.Modern industrialism has given rise to an abundance of craving (lobha) to earn more and more animosity (dosa) in competition and delusion (moha) in the belief that wealth, even life is permanent.It has generated a feeling of alienation of man from mankind. Under the influence of mechanized commercialism man himself has become a heartless machine.Each individual finds himself bound in a tangle for competitive existence. Man’s egoistic tendencies disregard religious ethics of universal love, compassion, non-violence etc.In such situations men become mentally ill with stress and tension. The only medicine that could cure them and bring about inner peace is the Dhamma (dhamma osadha samam natthi)Consumerist culture is another feature of modernism which creates agitated minds craving for more and more, contrary to the Buddhist teaching that contentment is the prime wealth (santhutthi paramam dhanam). These new trends have brought about mental illness, drug dependence, alcoholism and suicide.According to Buddhist teaching the Four Sublime Abidings-Universal kindness (metta), Compassion (karuna), Altruistic Joy (mudita) and Equanimity (upekkha) increase life expectancy and overall vitality while reaching out to help others selflessly induces a feeling of satisfaction and calmness of mind.
Health and meditation
Bhesajjakkhandhaka in Vinaya Pitaka dealing with medicine for promotion of physical health, illustrates that meditation helps both physical and mental health.In Anapanasati Bhavana (Meditation on Mindfulness in In-and-Out Breathing) apart from the mental calm acquired, the pre-requisites and the posture prescribed for this meditation by the Buddha agree so well with the advice of modern orthopaedic surgeons to overcome spine aches.For stress, Western Medicine recommends psychiatric therapies; The Buddhist remedy is meditation, especially Vipassana Bhavana (Insight Meditation) which brings about mental equilibrium, retentive power and tranquillity.The Buddha gave topics or meditation according to the mental make-ups of the individual just as a psychiatric would prescribe therapies according to the type of stress.Buddhist literature abounds with episodes dealing with the Buddha curing stress and trauma resulting from the deaths of loved ones (e.g. Kisagotami, Patacara etc.).
According to Buddhism conceit (maana) due to wealth, beauty and so on are also a sort of mental illness.
Rupananda and Sundari, endowed with great beauty as their names implied, were obsessed with it to the verge of madness. The Buddha cured them of their mental illness.Modern medical science has discovered the therapeutical value of meditation in producing physiological changes which in turn bring a about beneficial psychological effects and dispel tension, depression etc.Meditation helps physical ailments of the heart, blood pressure and blood circulation. It is recommended for diseases of a psychosomatic nature, so much so, that hospitals of western countries provide special facilities for it.In the past the Buddhists paid obeisance to the bhikkhus and elders by kneeling down and placing the forehead on the ground. This regular bending down and rising up helped the maintenance of healthy spines without aches and pains.Even today when bhikkhus are worshipped they recite a stanza which says that four factors develop as a result (cattaro dhammam vaddheti) – long life (ayu), beauty (vanno), good health (sukham) and energy (balam).If the Buddhists adhere to traditional customs and follow the Buddha’s advice of restraint in diet (battamada), abstinence from liquor, meditation and be pure in body and mind, there would be no necessity to visit ‘kingdoms’ to remain fit and illness will be minimised.
Death
The only certainly in life is death. In Kosala Samyutta, Buddha says, “All beings are subject to death, terminate in death and cannot escape death. For one who has taken birth, there is no avoiding death.” A Buddhist is to reflect on death and meditate and always be prepared for it.In life, we face our death, as well as of those whom we hold near and dear. Buddhism teaches, to treat death as a part of life and view it philosophically. We refer to ‘untimely deaths’ when babies, children and those in the prime of youth pass away.In this connection it is very apt and consoling to remember that the Buddha has said that no one knows when death would come.At birth, there is no guarantee given to the time and age of death, though we remain satisfied with the forecast of astrologers.In the Gamini Samyutta, Buddha had proclaimed that when a person who does not observe the Five Precepts and also overcome with craving, animosity and delusion, is at Death’s Door, even if a great multitude of people gather around him and recite prayers, he would be sunk into a state of misery or hell, just like a boulder hurled into a deep pool of water.In the Mahavagga Samyutta the Buddha tells Mahanama Sakya, “When a person who has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sanga for a long time passes away, even though his carcass may be devoured by hawks and vultures, is mind which had been fortified with faith in the Three Refuges with virtue and wisdom, would go upwards to distinction and higher birth evolving Nibbana.”
Preparing loved ones for death
Buddhist teaching is not to crowd round the bed of one who is terminally ill or about to pass away, wiping your tears, but to prepare their minds well ahead according to their mental make-ups.If it is a religious person he could be told in a subtle manner that in his very first sermon the Buddha declared birth, decay and death are unsatisfactory or dukkha.Then the Buddha’s teaching such as that all who are born have to die (uppajjita nirujjhanti), life is uncertain, death is certain (adhuvam jivitam dhuvam maranam) and so forth could be introduced as and when occasion demands and prepare him to face death with equanimity.
Conclusion
Birth and death are two ends of the same process. Understanding birth helps us to understand life because death is a great leveller. Death has no distinction.All those who are infatuated with wealth, health, power etc. and consider themselves for above the rest are made to lie on the same great earth with the lowly and the humble.Ageing, Illness and Death should create in us an awareness of impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and egolessness (anatta), which in turn should inspire us to view everything animate and inanimate with a sense of detachment, in spite of our natural tendency for attachment.When ageing, illness and death are viewed in the Buddhist perspective as realities of life, it should dawn upon us to observe at least the Five Precepts and fashion our lives according to the Dhamma so that we could attain the Unageing, Unailing and Undying Bliss of Nibbana .