Dying Professor's Last Lecture

I came across this on YouTube one day. A professor at CMU has been diagnosed with cancer which leaves him only months to live. At this moment of time, he decided to give his last lecture to students, not about his specialties or research this time, but about his childhood dreams and how he achieved those dreams, as well as how he helped many others to achieve their dreams. The lecture was inspiring, touching and funny. Yes, funny, as it was not meant to be a sad occasion in the very beginning, when the professor demonstrated how healthy he is by doing several push-ups on stage.

In the face of close death, people become different. The whole attitude has changed. The perspective on life has changed. The definition of the meaning of life has changed. Some react negatively; some look on the bright side and do positively. This professor is the latter. That's why he is giving this inspiring last lecture. I am sure it's not only inspiring for us but will also be for his kids. At the end of the lecture he said, "This is not for you, this is for my three young kids (to watch to remember me when they grow up)."

Every religion has its own perspective on the issue and nature of death, and their perspectives are vastly different from one to another. In Buddhism, human body is considered nothing but temporary composition of earth, water, fire, wind -- the four elements. And due to its temporary nature, death is nothing other than a transformation. The death of a human body is nothing different from the "death" of a rock to "give birth" to sand, or the death of a caterpillar to give birth to a butterfly. Forms change but essence remains. From this point of view, death is nothing to be scared, because in nature all things transform but not die -- at least not the disappearing-forever death.

Along this perspective, what we perceive as "human" is in fact not the essence but the form. I remember I read it somewhere that a Buddhist drew an analogy between the human body and a radio set. A radio set is what we humans label the thing that consists of transistors, capacitances, resistances, loud speakers, etc. Taking the radio set apart, none of the elements alone (transistors, etc.) would be called "radio". In other words, the radio set disappears or "dies". But, does it die or just transform? How can something "die" when it doesn't exist in the first place, only a matter of our human definition?

Likewise, the insistence on the term "human" is a misperception of the nature, according to Buddhism. And death is only feared due to lack of understanding or misunderstanding about the nature. If the nature of the reality is understood -- especially not intellectual understanding in the mind but personal realization at the heart -- we will be able to face death with more peace and ease. But this indeed is very challenging, and it requires spiritual depth -- for most Buddhists is cultivated through meditation.