Kleshas: Abhinivesha: Fear of Death

The Kleshas or the obstacles we face on our spiritual journey began with the ultimate veil of avidya or the not knowing that you are divinity in form. This unawareness provides fertile soil to trip upon the multiplying roots of the other kleshas for this not knowing is the key ingredient to sprout all kinds of fears, prejudices, ignorances, and blindspots. 

Abhinidvesa is the fifth klesha and can be interpreted as the fear of death. We may not think that we walk around all day in fear of our final breath, yet so many of our insecurities, misperceptions, and misguided actions very likely portray otherwise. Death might mean the departing of the physical body, but it can also be the departure of a relationship or the inevitable impermanence of most everything. 

Our culture likes to ignore death, we shove it into our back pockets, disregard it, dismiss it, and generally do not deal with it until we are faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis or an open heart surgery. I am in no way downplaying the hardship and pain of death. I am not justifying tragedy or injustice. What I am contemplating is the consideration that death could be a spiritual birth and birth could be a spiritual death of sorts. When we remove the obstacles and distractions of the physical, our souls can expand past all sense perceptions and unconscious barriers. Therefore, death could be considered life's greatest gift. On one hand we know we get to go to the limitless unknown, bedazzled beyond our most wild dreams, and on the other hand, we also know that our time here is limited and precious, thus we might as well make the most of it. 

I propose we acknowledge our own mortality daily. I might very well die tomorrow, so how will I make today, the absolute most epic day of my life? How can I love more and stress less, forgive more and judge less, play more and compare less, serve more and complain less? What if instead of fearing death, I could trust in death, of which ultimately gifts me a more profound life.

Thank you dearest human,

May this interpretation be received as the encouragement to know yourself as eternal. May you be inspired to live your aliveness as the precious gift that it is and also to not fear what’s next and trust that death is simply another birth.

All my love,

Andrea Dawn