For example, the article suggests we should "prepare for death by living well." While this sounds nice, it still operates within the realm of conditioning. The idea that if I live well I will get a good death - this is still operating within cause and effect and a sense of identity. This is just thinking. Karma is only a form of moral bookkeeping for those who agree with it; it is just another trap. The reality is that death is not improved by living well. What we need to do is reveal what the mind actually is, not what it pretends to be. This is why I continuously emphasize seeing through or denying the conditioned idea of a "life" to begin with.

Another point from the article is to "build a peaceful mind with good actions." I totally disagree with this framing; this is psychological conditioning, not liberation. While it may reduce agitation - which is a relative truth - a well-trained mind is still a constructed mind, a conceptual mind. Anything that is constructed will eventually collapse. Even a "good mind" can shake. Look at some monks who are full-time meditators; in the end, because the root illusion of self-control is still there, they haven’t arrived at the true goal.

The article also advises to "train attention so the mind follows a good path." This is okay at a subtle level, but it is important to note that this statement assumes there is a path and a direction to go. From the Buddha’s deeper seeing, there is no path. My friend, there is no one who travels; there is only arising and dissolving—appear, disappear, appear, disappear.

Another section mentions that "karma continues like a flame transferring." This teaching model is not ultimately true. It is used only to guide beginners. As the Buddha said, karma is not everything. If taken literally, it becomes a metaphysical belief. Through direct seeing, there is no fixed entity that continues. The Buddha taught that there are no real things that transfer; there are only patterns of appearing. We can refer to terms like āsava (influxes), anusaya (underlying tendencies), and gati (habitual inclinations) - that is what this is all about.

The article mentions that the core problem is improving the experience of dying. However, the Buddha’s deeper cut into this always comes back to seeing that there is no one who dies. This is why I say the original article is contradictory and very misleading when compared to the actual Buddha teaching. This is not a transition to manage, a journey to prepare for, or a test of morality. This is not Judgment Day. It is the collapse of the illusion of continuity. The Buddha taught anattā (not-self).

If you want to go further regarding the notion of "not to live well to die well": the Buddha taught that thoughts arise and appear, or thoughts appear and disappear - not "you." This is mental. Feelings come, feelings go, feelings arise - not "you." Body sensations are just another sensation within the process of the five aggregates - not "you." We must break the core illusion so we can see there is no center, no owner of experience, and no controller. We must always come back to the teaching of the Buddha.

When this is understood, the day becomes very simple: what was never owned cannot be lost, isn't it?

Do not prepare for death. See clearly now what exactly it is that is dying. The problem is the illusion of a "someone" who will die.

Related artyicle:
Preparing for Death by Living Well