[Buddha-l] How Khushwant Singh does, or might do, it

Sat Aug 6 02:02:51 MDT 2011

Thanks Joanna, for this gem. Something one might want to print and hang 
on the wall.

erik

On 06-08-11 09:56, JKirkpatrick wrote:
> Sorry---Plain Text screws up poetry formatting.
>
> Joanna
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
> [mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of
> JKirkpatrick
> Sent: Friday, August 05, 2011 7:20 PM
> To: 'Buddhist discussion forum'
> Subject: [Buddha-l] How Khushwant Singh does, or might do, it
>
>
> [Excerpted from the forthcoming _Absolute Khushwant: The Low-Down
> on Life, Death&  Most Things In-Between_ (Penguin). The book will
> be launched on August 16.]
>
> The Man in the Bulb meditates on the dying of the light Khushwant
> Singh
>
> Death is rarely spoken about in our homes. I wonder why.
> Especially when each one of us knows that death has to come, has
> to strike. It's inevitable. This line from Yas Yagana Changezi
> says it best:
> Khuda mein shak ho to ho, maut mein nahin koi shak (You may or
> may not doubt the existence of God, you can't doubt the certainty
> of death). And one must prepare oneself to face it.
>
> At 95, I do think of death. I think of death very often but I
> don't lose sleep over it. I think of those gone; keep wondering
> where they are. Where have they gone? Where will they be? I don't
> know the answers: where you go, what happens next. To quote Omar
> Khayyam, "Into this Universe, and Why not knowing Nor Whence,
> like Water willy-nilly flowing..."
> and,
> "There was a Door to which I found no Key There was a Veil
> through which I could not see Some little Talk awhile of Me and
> Thee There seemed-and then no more of Thee and Me."
>
> I once asked the Dalai Lama how one should face death and he had
> advised meditation. I'm not scared of death; I do not fear it.
> Death is inevitable. While I have thought about it a lot, I don't
> brood about it. I'm prepared for it. As Asadullah Khan Ghalib has
> so aptly put it, "Rau mein hai raksh-e-umar kahaan dekhiye
> thhamey Nai haath baag par hai na pa hai rakaab mein (Age travels
> at galloping pace; who knows where it will stop We do not have
> the reins in our hands nor our feet in the stirrups)."
>
> All my contemporaries-whether here or in England or in
> Pakistan-they're all gone. I don't know where I'll be in a year
> or two. I don't fear death. What I dread is the day I go blind or
> am incapacitated because of old age-that's what I fear-I'd rather
> die than live in that condition. I'm a burden enough on my
> daughter Mala and don't want to be an extra burden on her.
>
> All that I hope for is that when death comes to me, it comes
> swiftly, without much pain, like fading away in sound slumber.
> Till then I'll keep working and living each day as it comes.
> There's so much left to do. I have to content myself by saying
> these lines of Iqbal:
> "Baagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyon?
> Kaar-e-Jahaan daraaz hai, ab mera intezaar kar (Why did you order
> me out of the garden of paradise? I have a lot left to do; now
> you wait for me)."
>
> So I often tell Bade Mian, as I refer to him, from time to time,
> that he's got to wait for me as I still have work to complete.
> I believe in these lines of Tennyson:
> "Sunset and evening star,
> And one clear call for me
> And may there be no moaning of the bar,
> When I put out to sea...
> Twilight and evening bell,
> And after that the dark!
> And may there be no sadness or farewell, When I embark."
>
> I believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be
> celebrated. Earlier, whenever I was upset or low, I used to go to
> the cremation grounds. It has a cleansing effect, and worked like
> a therapy for me. In fact, I'd written my own epitaph years ago:
> "Here lies one who spared neither man nor God Waste not your
> tears on him, he was a sod Writing nasty things he regarded as
> great fun Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun."
>
> I had even written my own obit in 1943 when I was still in my
> twenties. It later appeared in a collection of short stories,
> titled 'Posthumous'. In the piece, I had imagined The Tribune
> announcing the news of my death on its front page with a small
> photograph. The headline would read: 'Sardar Khushwant Singh
> Dead'. And then, in somewhat smaller print:
> 'We regret to announce the sudden death of Sardar Khushwant Singh
> at 6 pm last evening. He leaves behind a young widow, two infant
> children and a large number of friends and admirers. Amongst
> those who called at the late sardar's residence were the PA to
> the chief justice, several ministers, and judges of the high
> court.'
>
> I had to cope with death when I lost my wife. Being an agnostic,
> I could not find solace in religious rituals. Being essentially a
> loner, I discouraged friends and relatives from coming to condole
> with me. I spent the first night alone sitting in my chair in the
> dark. At times, I broke down, but soon recovered my composure. A
> couple of days later, I resumed my usual routine, working from
> dawn to dusk. That took my mind off the stark reality of having
> to live alone in an empty home for the rest of my days. When
> friends persisted in calling and upsetting my equilibrium, I
> packed myself off to Goa to be by myself.
>
> I used to be keen on a burial because with a burial you give back
> to the earth what you have taken. Now, it will be the electric
> crematorium. I had requested the management of the Bahai faith if
> I could be buried. Initially, they had agreed, but then they came
> up with all sorts of conditions and rules. I had wanted to be
> buried in one corner with just a peepal tree next to my grave.
> After okaying this, the management later said that that wouldn't
> be possible and that my grave would be in the middle of a row and
> not in a corner. I wasn't okay with that-even though I know that
> once you are dead it makes no difference. But I was keen to be
> buried in one corner. They also told me later that they would
> chant some prayers, which again I couldn't agree with, because I
> don't believe in religion or in religious rituals of any kind.
>
> Though I'm quite fit, I know I don't have much time left. I'm
> coming to terms with death, preparing myself. And since I have no
> faith in God, nor in the day of judgement, nor in the theory of
> reincarnation, I have to come to terms with the complete full
> stop. I have been criticised for not sparing even the dead, but
> then death does not sanctify a person, and if I find the person
> had been corrupt, I write about it even when he's gone.
>
> I don't believe in rebirth or in reincarnation, in the day of
> judgement or in heaven or hell. I accept the finality of death.
> We do not know what happens to us after we die but one should
> help a person go in peace-at peace with himself and with the
> world.
>
> I've lived a reasonably contented life. I've often thought about
> what it is that makes people happy-what one has to do in order to
> achieve happiness.
> First and foremost is good health. If you do not enjoy good
> health, you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial,
> will deduct something from your happiness.
> Second, a healthy bank balance. It need not run into crores, but
> it should be enough to provide for comforts, and there should be
> something to spare for recreation-eating out, going to the
> movies, travel and holidays in the hills or by the sea. Shortage
> of money can be demoralising. Living on credit or borrowing is
> demeaning and lowers one in one's own eyes.
> Third, your own home. Rented places can never give you the
> comfort or security of a home that is yours for keeps. If it has
> garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers,
> see them grow and blossom, and cultivate a sense of kinship with
> them.
> Fourth, an understanding companion, be it your spouse or a
> friend. If you have too many misunderstandings, it robs you of
> your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to be
> quarrelling all the time.
> Fifth, stop envying those who have done better than you in
> life-risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can
> be corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.
> Sixth, do not allow people to descend on you for gup-shup. By the
> time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by
> their gossip-mongering.
> Seventh, cultivate a hobby or two that will fulfil you-gardening,
> reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going
> to clubs or parties to get free drinks, or to meet celebrities,
> is a criminal waste of time. It's important to concentrate on
> something that keeps you occupied meaningfully. I have family
> members and friends who spend their entire day caring for stray
> dogs, giving them food and medicines. There are others who run
> mobile clinics, treating sick people and animals free of charge.
> Eighth, every morning and evening devote 15 minutes to
> introspection. In the mornings, 10 minutes should be spent in
> keeping the mind absolutely still, and five listing the things
> you have to do that day. In the evenings, five minutes should be
> set aside to keep the mind still and 10 to go over the tasks you
> had intended to do.
> Ninth, don't lose your temper. Try not to be short-tempered, or
> vengeful. Even when a friend has been rude, just move on.
>
> Above all, when the time comes to go, one should go like a man
> without any regret or grievance against anyone.  Iqbal said it
> beautifully in a couplet in Persian: "You ask me about the signs
> of a man of faith? When death comes to him, he has a smile on his
> lips."
>
> ________________________________
>
>
>
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