Preparation for Death

Preparation for Death

Like everybody else, you would look forward to a peaceful death.

But a peaceful death is possible only when there is adequate preparation for death.

When should one begin the preparation for death?

Physically, your body has initiated such preparation as soon as it reaches its maturity: your body begins to wind down slowly and wear down gradually. However, mentally and spirituality, most of us are still unprepared until the very last moment when we are confronted with death, such as the onslaught of a chronic illness or the decease of someone close to us.

Thoughts of dying and death are so morbid that nobody wants to contemplate them. But preparation for death takes away death anxiety and enables living in faith.

Preparation for death is faith in death; it helps in the following ways:

Faith in death gives courage to get into the unknown and beyond after death without fear. Such courage is based on the relationship of trust in God’s grace and love, just as Apostle Paul expressed his relationship with God: “For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

Faith in death gives not only insight to guide through death into paradise but also control over one’s own dying and death. Every night, before going to bed, pray just as Jesus did:  “Father into Your hands, I commend My spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Faith in death gives transformation from agony to ecstasy, just as Jesus’ crucifixion transformed Him from agony to the eternal joy of heaven. Faith in death gives positive reflections on the meaning of life, and its priorities, and thus enabling one to live in the present moment. Spiritual wisdom makes death a friend, rather than a foe.

As a believer, cling to God, not the earthly things. Let living in faith make the transition from death to eternal life.

Chuang Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher once said: “How do I know that in clinging to this life I’m not merely clinging to a dream and delaying my entry into the real world? The great earth burdens me with a body, causes me to toil in life, eases me into old age, and rests me in death. That which makes my life good, makes my death even better . . .  “

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Detox the Mind to Detox Cancer

Detox the Mind to Detox Cancer 

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw

Your mind is your being, and your brain is the most important of all your body organs because it controls your whole being. How you think, what you do, how you act and react, and what you do with all your life experiences—they ultimately become not only your memories but also your realities.

Cancer is a complex and multi-faceted disease. It involves not just your body systems, and your body organs, but also your mind. Scientists have attested to the inter-connection between the body and the mind. In other words, a toxic body may lead to a toxic mind, and vice-versa. That is to say, having cancer may adversely affect your mind, how it thinks, how it reacts, and how it makes choices and decisions; by the same token, a toxic mind may not only cause cancer but also undermine the prognosis and the recovery of cancer.

Do you have a toxic mind?

You may have a toxic mind if you have depression, or you are regularly suffering from episodes of unexplained sadness.

You may have a toxic mind if your love relationships are always under stress and strain, and your children are forever rebellious and uncontrollable.

You may have a toxic mind if you are always on the verge of good health and success, but you never quite seem to be getting them.

You may have a toxic mind if you have achieved some accomplishments in your life, and yet you are forever plagued by frustration, and never quite seem to be enjoying the fruits of your success.

You may have a toxic mind if you find yourself struggling with something that you can neither identify nor understand.

You may have a toxic mind if you always feel a long, evil arm stretching from the past, trying to grip hold of you, and pulling you back from reaching your life goals and realizing your dreams.

You must detox your mind in order to increase your mind power not only to avoid cancer but also to cope with cancer if you unfortunately have the disease.

Read my book: Congratulations! You've Got Cancer to find out how to use your mind and body not only to prevent but also to combat the disease.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

No Negative Emotions! No Depression!

No Negative Emotions! No Depression!

Anxiety, fear, fright, and worry are all negative emotions that are the underlying causes of depression.

All negative emotions, in excess, may lead to depression. For example, if people over praise you, your ego may become inflated; and you may then subconsciously develop fear—fear of not getting more praise, or fear of not living up to the praise. Conversely, if people criticize you, you may also develop distress to overcome the disgrace from the criticism.

Of all human emotions, worry is perhaps the least useful and serves no purpose at all, except causing unnecessary anxiety and developing a depressive mood. The problem with worry is that it focuses on an imaginary future.

According to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese sage, who was the author of the famous Tao Te Ching, the ancient classic on human wisdom, “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”

Seeking success and avoiding failure are no more than pride and fear; they are only expressions of the human conditions erroneously perceived by the human mind.

“Success is avoiding failure; avoiding failure is seeking success.

Both originate from fear and pride: the source of human suffering.”

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 13)

According to Tao wisdom, everything follows the natural order of things; that is, everything is in its proper place and will work out the way it is supposed to work out, irrespective of your worrying and regardless of your deliberate interference to make things happen the way you want them to happen.

Remember, worrying will never change the outcome. According to Lao Tzu, if you water your dreams with worry and fear, you will produce weeds; if you water your dreams with optimism and solutions, you will cultivate growth and success. Remember, you manifest not what you want but what you are and what you think.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

No Attachment! No Depression!

No Attachment! No Depression!

Attachment is no more than a safety blanket to overcome fear—fear of change and of the unknown from that change. To cope with that fear, all attachments become distractions.

We are living in a world with many problems that confront us in our everyday life, and many of these are not only unavoidable but also insoluble. To overcome these daily challenges, many of us just turn to attachment as a means of distracting ourselves from facing our problems head on, or adapting and changing ourselves in an ever-changing environment. All of our struggles in life, from anxiety to frustrations, from anger to sadness, from grief to worry—they all stem from the same thing: our attachment to how we want things to be, rather than relaxing into accepting and embracing whatever that might happen after we have put forth our best effort.

Attachment is the source of human depression. No attachment, no depression!

Career attachments

Your career may span over decades, involving many ups and downs, such as promotion and unemployment, changes of career and pursuits of higher qualifications, among others. They may have become your problematic attachments.

Money and wealth attachments

Money plays a major role in life. You need money for almost everything in life. Attachment to money and the riches of the material world is often a result of an inflated ego-self. You may want to keep up with the Joneses—driving a more expensive car than your neighbors and friends.

Relationship attachments

Living has to do with people, involving agreements and disagreements, often resulting in mixed emotional feelings of joy and sorrow, contentment and regret, among others, and they become attachments to the ego-self as memories that you may refuse to let go of—forgetting and forgiving, for example, are hurdles often difficult to overcome.

Success and failure attachments

Success in life often becomes an attachment in the form of expectation that it will continue, bringing more success. Failure, on the other hand, may generate disappointment and regret—an emotional attachment often difficult to let go of. 

Adversity and prosperity attachments

In the course of human life, loss and bereavement are as inevitable as death. Loss can be physical, material, and even spiritual, such as loss of hope and purpose. You may want to attach to the good old days, and refuse to let go of the current adversity. Adversity and prosperity attachments stem from the ego-self.

Time attachments

Time is a leveler of mankind: we all have only 24 hours a day, no more and no less, although the lifespan of each individual varies. Attachment to time is the reluctance to let go of time passing away, as well as the vain attempt to fully utilize every moment of time, leading to a compulsive mind, such as texting while driving.  

Sometimes we are so busy in the outside world that we seldom have an opportunity to look inside of ourselves, to understand who we really are and what really makes us happy—probably not the material things around us.

Letting go of your attachments is the art of living well.

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Walking to Protect Your Brain

Walking is one of the most common exercises because it is simple and easy to do—you just walk. Sometimes you have to exercise your feet simply because you have to get to some place to do something or to get what you want. In addition to reaping the benefits of exercise, walking can also protect your brain from aging—if you have the know-how.

Most of us just walk with our feet, but without fully utilizing the exercise of walking. That is to say, because walking is so automatic and mechanical that we no long pay any attention to our walking. In other words, we don’t concentrate when we are walking or doing the exercise of walking. We are so caught up with our destination—such as attending a meeting, or going shopping—that we are completely oblivious of the process of walking. Even if we are using walking as an exercise, we may become caught up in listening to music on the MP3 or talking to someone on the cell phone, such that we pay no attention to the movements of our feet because we have put them on automatic pilot.

If you are walking like the above scenarios, your are not helping to protect your brain from aging. As you age, your brain's cognitive functions also decline, such as you experience more memory lapses and you find it more difficult to learn new things. We are living in an age of speed, which creates a compulsive mind; unfortunately, a compulsive mind ages faster. The explanation is simple: like the body, a mind needs a break. If you overexert your body, it breaks down, and so does a mind that never rests. 

The only way to still a mind is by way of concentration: concentrating on something automatic and spontaneous, or something insignificant. The objective of the concentration is to distract the mind from thinking, which we don't stop, except when we are sleeping. Even when we are deep in sleep, the mind continues to work in a passive way to weave out dreams or nightmares. Therefore, it is important to stop your brain from thinking so as to give it a meaningful break. Mental relaxation holds the key to protecting the brain from aging.

How do you concentrate your mind while walking? 

Pay attention to your breaths: breathing in and breathing out, as well as the pace or intensity of your breaths. Pay attention to the sensations of your body, such as the feelings of your soles and toes as your shoes touch the ground. Pay attention to the shifting of your body weight as you move from your right foot to the left foot. Just practice paying attention to what is happening to your body as you are walking. Or you can focus your attention on the surrounding, such as the buildings and people around you. 

No matter how concentrating or focused your mind is, compulsive or obsessive thoughts may find their way into your mind. You mind may remember what you need to say at the meeting or what you need to buy at the grocery store. They may sip through your consciousness without you inviting them. This, too, is natural. Just notice them, and then re-focus your mind on your breaths, your body movements, or the surrounding. Before long, you have mastered and controlled your mind. You feel very relaxed, and you have de-stressed your mind, thus protecting your brain from aging. 

Don't just walk! Walk with consciousness; walk with mindfulness; walk with concentration. Try this out the next time you walk. 

Also read my book Younger and Healthier for Longer to get the wisdom of anti-aging.

Stephen Lau

Copyright © by Stephen Lau

Life Changes May Become Enlightenment

Life is forever changing. A static life is not worth living. Ironically enough, many people resist any change in their lives; they desire consistency and stability. Unfortunately, whether you like it or not, changes are inevitable as you continue to age. The only ways to cope with life changes is adaptability and acceptance.

Adaptability is changing the mind's perception of the change you confront, and act or react accordingly to the circumstances. This mental perception requires awareness, without which actions or reactions may not take place, because often times changes are slow, gradual, and even subtly imperceptible. Awareness means knowing why and how changes are taking place.

.“We need a still and composed mind

to see things with greater clarity.

Because trouble begins in the mind

with small and unrelated thoughts.

So, we carefully watch the mind

to stop any trouble before it begins.”

(Chapter 64, Tao Te Ching)

Acceptance is taking the responsibility of the results of the actions or reactions taken. Acceptance may not be easy, especially if you have a pre-conditioned mindset of expectation or comparing the condition before and after the change.

Both adaptability and acceptance requires wisdom -- the wisdom to know and understand that nothing is permanent because everything remains only with that very present moment, and that everything follows a natural cycle, such as success .

"Success and failure are no more than expressions of the human condition.

So, accept both gracefully and willingly, with no judgment, no preference.

The Creator loves us unconditionally, irrespective of our success or failure.

What is meant by “accept both gracefully and willingly”?

Success is avoiding failure; avoiding failure is seeking success.

Both originate from fear and pride: the sources of human suffering.

Seeing ourselves indiscriminately as everything, including success and failure,

we see not only the manifestations but also the mysteries of the creation."

(Chapter 13, Tao Te Ching)

Tao wisdom is profound human wisdom based on not acquisition of knowledge but self-intuition of the nature of things. Through this self-enlightenment, one become wise, and accordingly knows how to live one's life as if everything is a miracle. Click here to find out more about Tao wisdom.

Stephen Lau 

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

My Book Just Published

ANYTHING IS EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IS NOTHING, NOTHING IS EVERYTHING by Stephen Lau

This newly published book is about the miracle of living.

“Anything” may be “everything” to you, but not to others, and vice-versa. That may explain the some of the difficulties in human relationships. Life is difficult because it is all about you, and not about others. Let go of “anything is everything” to you if you focus more on others as well.

“Everything is nothing” is a universal truth: nothing lasts, no matter how we wish they were permanent. Many of us are reluctant to accept this universal truth of the impermanence of all things in this world.

“Nothing is everything” is enlightenment of the human mind, which is profound understanding of the ultimate truths of self, of others, and of the world around.

This 100-page book explains with many real-life examples to illustrate the perceptions of “anything is everything”, “everything is nothing”, and “nothing is everything”—based on the ancient Chinese wisdom and the Biblical wisdom.

Get the wisdom to live your life as if everything is a miracle.

Click here to get your paperback copy.

Click here to get your digital copy.

Here is the outline of the book:

INTRODUCTION

ONE: ANYTHING IS EVERYTHING

The Meanings and the Interpretations

A Frog in a Well

Human Wisdom and Spiritual Wisdom

Oneness with All Life

Love and Forgiveness

Gratitude and Generosity

Sympathy and Empathy

Compassion and Loving Kindness

TWO: EVERYTHING IS NOTHING

Understanding Is Everything

The Mind and the Ego

Attachments and Illusions

Control and Power

Detachment and Letting Go

Impermanence and Emptiness

THREE: NOTHING IS EVERYTHING

The Paradox

The Way

The Miracle

The Enlightenment

APPENDIX A: TAO TE CHING

APPENDIX B: MINDFULNESS

APPENDIX C: MEDITATION

APPENDIX D: WORDS OF WISDOM

APPENDIX E: ABOUT THE AUTHOR