Chapter 2 "Impermanence" Summary

Sogyal begins by explaining the two certainties of death. First, one will die. Next, one is unable to determine when he or she will die. Sogyal points out that fear of death stems from the unknown, from a passion for life, and primarily from a lack of knowledge of one's self. Sogyal notes the human dependence on material possessions and other individuals at the expense of learning one's own identity, and believes this to mean humans often believe death leaves one without any friends, familiarity, or dependence, and with only a surface state of consciousness. This state of mind, he points out, is unreliable, and thus a gamble at the point of death.

Sogyal continues this discussion by repeating a story of a meditation master, Dudjom Rinpoche. As Dudjom and his wife were driving through France, his wife praises...