A matured meditator Ratilal Mehta passed away at the ripe old age of 86 on 26" August 1987 with full awareness. Just as he lived an ideal meditator's life, so also he experienced an ideal death.
He found the path that he had long been searching for when he participated for the first time in a Vipassana course on 31 October 1971 in Bikaner, Rajasthan. From the very start the Dhamma feeling of 'ehi passiko' (come experience pure Dhamma) gripped him. He was overjoyed with the elixir of Dhamma and wanted all suffering beings to experience the same nectar-May all find the way out of misery!'
On hearing of a meditation Centre being developed in Igatpuri, Maharashtra, he was delighted and immediately had the Dhamma volition that there should be a Centre in southern India, in Hyderabad, for the convenience of the people there.
These feelings of Dhamma suffused his mind and could not be contained; he donated two and a half acres of family land for a Centre, which later grew by another 4 acres enabling further development. Dhamma Khetta Centre was officially opened on 4 September 1976, just before the opening of Dhammagiri in Igatpuri. The land which had been cultivated for food to alleviate physical hunger then began catering to the spiritual hunger of humanity, and will continue for generations to come.
He also introduced all his family members to the Dhamma. As a meditator purifies oneself on one's Dhamma journey and releases old knots of mental impurities lying deep within, feelings of compassionate metta for all grow stronger. Ratibhai would occasionally come to Dhammagiri, Igatpuri to meditate, where he saw that those meditating under the pristine Pagoda's tranquil space of individual meditation cells were benefitting tremendously. Sure enough a strong Dhamma determination took root - those coming to Dhamma Khetta should have this benefit as well. Soon a three storey Pagoda was built which later grew to 74 meditation cells with the help of donations from others also.
Watching people grow in Dhamma would fill this meditator with pure joy. He knew his money could not be put to better use than to help people who have been suffering for so long to be able to purify their minds by bringing them to the path of Vipassana. There could not be a better service to humanity.
This Dhamma well wisher suffered from dire cancer in his last years of life. The cancer spread its insidious tentacles first affecting his large intestines, then liver and lungs. For excretion the doctors attached a pouch to his stomach in which waste was collected. Ratilalbhai smiled through this unbearable condition. Whenever asked how the pain was, his one answer was, 'It's a result of some past negative kamma and I am watching it with equanimity.' Blessed is such a meditator!
Truly a terrible kamma that would have resulted in serious misery in future lives was manifesting itself in this way, and by observing with equanimity he was eradicating it with relatively less suffering.
Lord Buddha had said that if a fistful of salt is added to a small bowl of water, the water will not be drinkable, but if the same amount of salt is added to a flowing river then it will have no impact on the water. This is the Dhamma strength of a true meditator that he repays his kammic debt with smiling forbearance when facing much suffering.
A few hours before passing away, he changed into fresh clothes, drank some milk and then expressed a desire to sit in meditation. The body had grown very weak, yet with the support of those attending on him and his own will power he sat and soon was immersed in Vipassana. He was deeply fond of Dhamma dohas which always helped him go deep in sādhana. He asked for dohās to be played. For about one and a half hours he meditated, and with the dohās playing on cassette tape, both played out their final symphony together. After the mettā dohās, 'bhavatu sabba mangalam' was chanted three times. As soon as the chant ended the meditating sādhaka released his final breath moving onward to the devaloka.
Blessed is a true meditator! Blessed is Vipassana which is purifying!
(Translated from the Hindi book 'Jūge Pavana Prerana')