Gomchen Lamrim review: Two meditations on death
The nine-point death meditation and imagining our death
Venerable Thubten Jampa 
Gomchen Lamrim 
Jan 1, 2016 Part of a series of teachings on the Gomchen Lamrim by Gomchen Ngawang Drakpa. Visit Gomchen Lamrim Study Guide for a full list of contemplation points for the series.
- The purpose of meditating on death
- The nine-point death meditation
- Imagining our own death
- Reflecting on our future lives and the two kinds of rebirth
Gomchen Lamrim 22 Review: Meditation on death (download)
Contemplation points
- Go through the 9-point death meditation. What is the wisdom fear that we should have coming out of the death meditation? How does this wisdom fear act as an antidote to the usual fears we have about death?
- What kinds of excuses do you come up with for putting off spiritual practice?
- What kinds of negative karma have you created in relation to possessions, friends and relatives, and your own body that you will carry with you at the time of death? Take time to purify these things and determine to abandon the eight worldly concerns.
- Go through the points of the meditation on imagining your own death. Having meditated in this way, what do you want to do with the time you have left? What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama says that the state of our mind as we approach death is very important as it steers the course of our rebirth. With this in mind, in addition to the fact that we do not know when we will die, how do you want to direct your mind in each moment? Is anger or jealousy or greed worth it if you could die in the next moment?
- Why is it important to consider the possibility of being born in a lower realm? How does this benefit our practice?
Venerable Thubten Jampa
Ven. Thubten Jampa (Dani Mieritz) is from Hamburg, Germany. She took refuge in 2001. She has received teachings and training from e.g. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dagyab Rinpoche (Tibethouse Frankfurt) and Geshe Lobsang Palden. Also she received teachings from Western teachers from the Tibetan Center in Hamburg. Ven. Jampa studied politics and sociology for 5 years at the Humboldt-University in Berlin and received her diploma in Social Science in 2004. From 2004 to 2006 she worked as a Volunteer Coordinator and fundraiser for the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) in Berlin. In 2006, she traveled to Japan and practiced Zazen in a Zen monastery. Ven. Jampa moved to Hamburg in 2007, to work and study at the Tibetan Center-Hamburg where she worked as an event manager and in administration. On August 16, 2010, she received the Anagarika vows from Ven. Thubten Chodron, which she kept while fullfilling her obligations at the Tibetan Center in Hamburg. In October 2011, she entered training as an Anagarika at Sravasti Abbey. On January 19, 2013, she received both the novice and training ordinations (sramanerika and siksamana). Ven. Jampa organizes retreats and supports events at the Abbey, helps with offering service coordination and supports the health of the forest. She is a facilitator for the Friends of Sravasti Abbey Friends online education program (SAFE).
