From Here to Eternity:. Bruce G Epperly
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the reality of death, first, in their observations of the natural world and, then, in contests between sharks and whales and heroes and villains, in which one dies and the other lives on. It may take a few more years for the child to internalize that the fact that he or she will die as well, but death is our constant companion from the moment of conception.
We are dust, but we reach to the heavens in imagination, creativity, wonder, and sacrifice. In that contrast between spirit and flesh, imagination and concreteness, and life and death, we experience the greatest joy and creativity as well as the greatest fear and grief.
Pause a moment, take a deep breath, and say out loud, “I am going to die.” How does it feel to admit your mortality? What images come to mind? When I used a variation on this exercise at the study upon which this book is based, participants responded with:
I’m excited to find out what’s next.
I feel anxious.
I’m not afraid of death, but of the dying process, the pain, and losing my sense of control.
I have trouble believing I will die.
What will happen next?
I’m hopeful about the future.
I feel a sense of loss. I don’t want to leave my family and friends.
Even people who are confident about the afterlife as a result of near death experiences or deep faith in God have moments of anxiety and uncertainty about what’s next in our human adventure.
Death as the Doorway to Spiritual Transformation. The encounter with death can lead to denial or transformation, emotional shutdown or spiritual open-heartedness. We can flee to Samarra, acting as if we can escape death, only to ride into the hands of our greatest fears. We can also embrace the reality of death and discover that each moment is a miracle. According to a Buddhist legend, young Gautama was a wealthy Indian prince. Early his life, his father received a prophecy that his son Gautama would be a great spiritual teacher. Desiring that his son follow in his footsteps as a political and military leader, he tried to shield him from all of life’s difficulties. He surrounded him with youthful companions, servants, and dancing girls, who were discharged as soon as wrinkles appeared. But, one day, Gautama escaped the palace and wandered about the city. In the course of his meanderings, he encountered something that he had never experienced before — an elderly man. Puzzled by the realities of aging, he returned to the city and on two successive days, he encountered a sick person and then a corpse. Troubled, Gautama ventured forth one more time, and beheld a monk. From then on, he recognized that all things must pass, and that we can experience peace only through embracing change, letting go of attachments, and deepening our spiritual lives. Out of Gautama’s encounter with death, one of the world’s great wisdom traditions was born. He became the Buddha, the “enlightened one,” whose teachings have inspired millions to face the challenges of death with equanimity.
Resurrection Living. Two grief-stricken women trudged to the graveyard to pay their last respects to their beloved friend and teacher. “Who will roll the stone away from the tomb?” they asked one another. To them, death had sealed their future and the fate of their beloved friend and teacher. When they arrive at the tomb, the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. They are amazed and awestruck, but know that the One they loved is alive and will meet them on the path ahead (Mark 16:1–8).
In another Easter story, one of the women, Mary of Magdala, cries out to a gardener, “Where have you taken my beloved friend?” (John 20:11–18). Her spirit soars when the gardener calls her name, “Mary.” Her beloved companion lives. Love is stronger than death.
“In the midst of death,” Martin Luther also asserts, “we are surrounded by life.” That first Easter, the power of death was unmasked. Yes, pain is real and loss is devastating; but there is something more. New life springs forth. The crocus emerges after the chill of winter. The butterfly bursts forth from the tomb-like chrysalis. This is resurrection living. This is the pathway we take, mortal and finite, which leads beyond the grave and takes us from here to eternity.
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