Remembrance at Death
Whatever state of being one remembers at death, that state one will attain.
The moment of death is pivotal—the mind's final focus determines the trajectory of the soul. This teaching emphasizes that death is not separate from life but its culmination; where we direct attention habitually determines where it naturally goes at the crucial moment. Therefore, spiritual practice throughout life prepares us for this final examination. Living with God-consciousness prepares for dying in God-consciousness.
Whatever state of being one remembers when quitting the body, that state one will attain without fail.
Tibetan Buddhism elaborates similar teaching—the bardo (transitional) state is influenced by the habits of mind cultivated in life.
Bhagavad Gita
Written about in
- What the Bhagavad Gita says about grief
Whatever state a person holds in mind when leaving the body is the state they attain. It makes a lifetime of practice, on this account, rehearsal for a single moment, and it gives anyone sitting at a deathbed something to actually do.