A Discussion of Avidya
There is fear of death because there is a part of us that dies. It’s very important for living things to die – because then their compounds are available for re-use by other living beings. Gardeners create compost heaps to exploit this – as things rot, they release their raw material which is then available for new life. People say that death is inevitable: in fact, life is inevitable. No matter how many things die and rot away, more springs up. Our minds exist to manage our lives, so our minds are uncomfortable with the idea that life must end. When the body dies, so does the mind.
Yoga texts suggest there is a part of us that doesn’t die. They go on to say that we mis-identify, and assume that our mind is our life: that because it dies, then all is over. And, of course, all is over for that individual. But the part that lives on is in all people, and is the same in all people. Its presence is required for the physical process we call life to occur. When it leaves, that process ends.
