How to die so that I will not be born again? If I understand correctly, this is the aim of Buddhists and many others who follow their religions tenaciously. Again if I’m right, there is a natural tendency in us to achieve this end. When reading about ghost, I came across a theory on how ghost materializes. Any kind of ‘mental disturbance’ creates them and they can persist after expiry of the physical body that created them in the first place.

I’m reminded of a story. There was a nuclear family that owned a big farm. They were four in number – mother, father, daughter and son. For some time both the father and the son spotted some strange creature in their farm. They chased and shot it but to no use. At last they called a famous exorcist for help. The exorcist traced the ‘source’ of it to the daughter. The father was abusing the daughter. The enormous repressed anguish that she harboured in her mind had taken the form of the animal. She created it unintentionally!

Read any ghost story claimed to be true and you’ll find some deeply disturbed mind somewhere. Now let me put forth my supposition. The mental disturbance that has a definite identity perpetuates. This perpetuated identity might influence or become part of an existing being – that is like being born again. The death that does not leave any such disturbance, whether it can be felt by others (living) or not, is the art of dying an enlightened death in my opinion.

When talking about enlightenment, one image of Buddha is quite popular. He is sitting with two men beside him. One of them is injuring one of his arms with a knife and the other is lovingly applying sandalwood in the other arm. But he shows no reaction to either: His mind is still and no positive or negative emotions flare up. In such a state if someone dies, will he or she leave any disturbance? I don’t think so. He died without leaving any identity in form of disturbance.

I suppose I’m able to put across my point clearly.