Sri Chinmoy | Is Death The End?
I read this poem on a web site early this week and haven’t stopped thinking about its profound perspective on death. What captured me about the text was the author’s unique use of three-fold parallels in the second and third stanzas. In addition to being beautifully written, the poem makes a number of thought-provoking assertions about life and death I found fascinating and enlightening. The poem is called “Is Death The End?” and is a work of Sri Chinmoy. (In truth, the following text is actually two excerpts from Chinmoy’s book, My Rose Petals, that have been spliced together, but I found it more powerful in the context below.)
Is Death The End?
Death is not the end.
Death can never be the end.
Death is the road.
Life is the traveller.
The Soul is the Guide.
…
Our mind thinks of death.
Our heart thinks of life.
Our soul thinks of Immortality.
–Sri Chimnoy
The author, Sri Chinmoy, is “a spiritual teacher who dedicated his life in the service of humanity.” Born in India in 1931, Chinmoy spent 20 years of his life in a spiritual community before immigrating to New York in 1964. He is a composer of poetry, music, drama, and various other projects and teachings.
Tags: Is Death The End?, Sri Chinmoy
