Why fear death?
Death cannot mean non-being. Why do you love sleep, but not death?
From ~~~ Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk 306.
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Maharshi: Contemplation wards off all other thoughts. You should merge yourself in the source. At times we merge in the source unconsciously, as in sleep, death, swoon, etc.
What is contemplation? It is merging into the source consciously. Then the fear of death, of swoon, etc. will disappear, because you are able to merge into the source consciously.
Why fear death? Death cannot mean non-being. Why do you love sleep, but not death?
Do you not think now? Are you not existing now? Did you not exist in your sleep?
Even a child says that it slept well and happily. It admits its existence in sleep, unconsciously though.
So, consciousness is our true nature. We cannot remain unconscious. We however say that we were unconscious in our sleep because we refer to qualified consciousness.
The world, the body, etc., are so embedded in us that this relative consciousness is taken to be the Self.
Does anyone say in his sleep that he is unconscious? He says so now. This is the state of relative consciousness. Therefore he speaks of relative consciousness and not of abstract consciousness.
The consciousness is beyond relative consciousness or unconsciousness.
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https://selfdefinition.org/ramana/Talks-with-Sri-Ramana-Maharshi--complete.pdf