Shi Chimney lived many centuries ago; however, his short poem reflects the attitude of modern Buddhists towards death.
According to Buddhism, everything and everybody in this world are interrelated. Nothing appears from nothing. Thus nothing can disappear.
Death is the natural result of Life; people die to be reborn. Thus, without Life, there would be no death, and without death, there would be no life.
This rule has no exceptions.
Unlike other poems on death, Chinmoy’s poem is not filled with the fear of death. On the contrary, the poem has a calming effect. It comforts the reader by assuring that death is not the end; it is the continuation of Life. When someone dies, his existence does not end. As Chimney wrote, “Heaven is a temporary rest,” heaven is the place where the soul prepares for the new Life.
Why do we fear death? Most people are afraid because they do not know what happens after the moment of death. Christianity promises eternal Life; Buddhism gives hope for rebirth, while nobody really knows whether there is any form of existence after death. We want to believe that our existence will not cease after our physical body dies; we want to hope that our soul will survive.
All of the global religions are focused on death because humans are concerned with death more than with any other issue.
Death cannot be predicted, avoided, or postponed. If death were a person, it would be the most hated individual in the world. Religions give people the hope that death is not the end, that Life continues after death. As Chimney note, “Life is a journey. Death is the continuation of the journey.” These two lines are the summary of all religious writings.
Modern American society is not afraid of death to the same extent as people were several centuries ago. Why? Because death is perceived differently today, we see it every day in the news and the movies.
The death of someone is seen as unimportant or insignificant to us. However, when our loved person dies, we suddenly realize that death is horrible and unfair.
Chimney intended to show the reader that death is not as horrible as we might think because we die “for the commencement and fulfillment of a new life, a new hope, and a new promise.” These are the concluding lines of the poem. In the very short piece of writing, Chimney managed to deliver a very powerful and convincing message – there is no need to be afraid of death because it is not the end but is rather the beginning of the new Life.