Your spiritual journey, like everything else, has a beginning and an end. For those who think of the journey as a sacred task, the end of the journey means completion of the task. For those who think of the journey as a lifetime, the end of the journey would seem to be death itself.

Tao cultivators are a bit different in that they always integrate their lifelong missions into the very fabric of their lives. To them, the two are essentially one and the same. Thus, the end of one’s life marks the completion of one’s work, and vice versa.

We recognize the significance of the journey’s end for many reasons, not the least of which is its connection to death. Mortality has always been a major concern for most human beings throughout history, and most religions of the world attempt to soothe prevalent fears by promising rewards in the hereafter. How about those who study the Tao? How shall we approach death?

This is where we will find Chuang Tzu’s wisdom to be particularly important and valuable. He provides us with a series of insights, as follows:

1. Why should we let ourselves be overwhelmed with grief when a loved one passes away? What would happen if we understand that the great circle—life manifesting from the Tao and returning back to it—is no different from the changing of seasons?
2. If we recognize the true inevitability of death, then we know the time will come when we lose those we care about the most. This is a wake-up call that we all need to appreciate one another in the here and now, while we still enjoy the gift of life together.
3. Detachment is the one lesson we all have to master, because none of us will be able to take anything with us when we die. It is not enough to just talk about it. We need to practice it, exemplify it, and live it, so we can depart this world with no concerns and no regrets.
4. What is the underlying reason for us to fear death? Why do we expend so much effort in useless attempts to ward it off? How would we change our thinking if we had even a glimpse into the unknown?
5. Discard the illusion that death is the final destination. See instead the truth that death is the transformation of existence. Your spiritual journey continues on, because you continue on. The end of one particular journey is never the end of all journeys. Thus, the end of this journey is not the end of you. It is simply your arrival.