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Someday, you’re going to die. This is an obvious, unavoidable fact of life—yet author Sadhguru points out that almost everyone in modern society has implicitly agreed to ignore it. This reluctance to acknowledge death leads to enormous and unnecessary suffering.

Sadhguru argues that so many of us ignore death because we’re afraid of it—but, he adds, the only reason we’re afraid is because we don’t understand the true nature of the universe. If we opened our eyes to spiritual truths, we’d see that death is nothing to be afraid of. According to Sadhguru, forming such a peaceable relationship with death will help you live a balanced, joyful life. More than that, it’ll help you prepare for your death—and what comes afterward.

Sadhguru is a spiritual teacher and founder...

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Death; An Inside Story Summary Ignorance About Death Causes Suffering

Many people in today’s society suffer because they constantly avoid thinking about their deaths. But why is this?

For one, Sadhguru asserts that for some people, ignoring death causes suffering because it prevents them from appreciating the time they have. Unless someone recognizes that every second of their life is one they’ll never get back, they’ll frequently waste time and energy on things that don’t matter. For example, they might get into petty fights with others and worry about parts of life they can’t change. Such time-wasting only makes life less enjoyable.

Other people go to the opposite extreme: Instead of ignoring death completely, they try to avoid death at all costs. They want to live a comfortable, predictable, and unchanging life with as little risk and danger as possible. However, Sadhguru maintains that this kind of life is practically the same as being dead already, and it leaves these people depressed and aimless.

(Shortform note: In The Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt note another potential danger of obsessing over your safety: If you avoid all risk in...

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Death; An Inside Story Summary How to Overcome the Fear of Death

Sadhguru insists that accepting death is key to living a fulfilling life. But how do we do this?

First of all, once you realize that there’s no reason to be afraid of death, you’ll have an easier time accepting it. According to Sadhguru, people who fear death are actually afraid of two types of pain: First, they fear the pain associated with death itself. Luckily, he says, death itself isn’t painful—on the contrary, you can only feel pain if you’re still alive. If you’re sick, the moment you die is the moment the pain stops.

(Shortform note: Research shows that fortunately, most people with terminal illnesses don’t suffer intense pain in the time leading up to their death, either. On the contrary, many symptoms of fatal diseases get better as death approaches. Over 85% of palliative care patients are free of all severe symptoms of disease by the time they die, and 97.5% of them report that they’re not in severe pain in the days before their death.)

Second, Sadhguru states that people fear death because they’re afraid of the pain of losing something important to them. However, **the only...

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Death; An Inside Story Summary How to Prepare for Death

So far, we’ve established that overcoming your fear of death and acknowledging its inevitability will significantly improve your life. Sadhguru notes that increasing your awareness of death has another equally important purpose: motivating you to prepare for it.

We’ll start this section by explaining which part of death you need to prepare for and why. Then, we’ll offer several tips you can follow to increase your odds of dying well.

Why Prepare for Death?

Sadhguru asserts that your state of mind at the moment of death has an enormous influence on your afterlife experience.

When you die, most of the karma that makes up your worldly self is destroyed (as we’ve discussed). However, according to Sadhguru, the karma that creates your illusory self while you’re alive is powerful enough to influence the part of you made of life energy that persists after you die. Thus, after death, most people are still convinced that they're a separate entity rather than one with everything.

Sadhguru explains that dead people not only lose their bodies— they also lose the ability of the rational mind to discriminate between what’s desirable and undesirable. Thus, they can no longer make...

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Death; An Inside Story Summary How to Overcome Grief

We’ve covered how to overcome the fear of death and how to work toward a better afterlife by preparing for death. We’ll conclude with practical advice for people who are still alive but have been impacted by death: how to overcome painful feelings of grief after someone close to you has died.

What Is Grief?

Sadhguru argues that to overcome grief, you must become aware of its true nature. He contends that grief isn’t just the automatic human response to death. Rather, when you feel the pain of grief, you’re suffering the loss of what that person added to your life. You feel as if a part of you has died; consequently, you believe that you’re fundamentally broken, missing something necessary for life.

However, Sadhguru contends that to live a perfect life, you don’t need anything or anyone—not even the love of your life. Grief makes this fact more apparent by stripping away the things you used to think you needed. For this reason, grief is a valuable opportunity for spiritual growth.

To Overcome Grief, Give More Love to Others

According to Sadhguru, when someone you love dies, you’ll find that your love for them will grow much more intense. All the little...

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Shortform Exercise: Reflect on Your Mortality

Sadhguru asserts that becoming fully aware of your mortality is the key to living a fulfilling life. Reflect on the idea of your death and discover how it makes you feel.


Describe your relationship to the idea of death. To what extent are you afraid of it, and why?

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