Here is a Princess who was a beauty and who was adored by her people and the people world over. She touched the hearts of many in pain and helped to raise millions of dollars for charity. She had access to the best of everything in life, yet the harsh reality is that she succumbed to an untimely and a tragic death.

First of all let me say to those millions who cried and mourned world over ; Death is the one certainty of life. If you are born, you will die. This should never be forgotten. Yet, people mourn and lament at the death of their dear ones, whether untimely or not. This is because normally people live with the perception of life in pursuit of uncertain things. Rarely do people prepare for the certain event in life i.e. death. The wise one, always aware that death prevails over all, lives with the perception of death. For more details about the fruits of the perception of death, please refer the "insight meditation" section of Beyond the Net. If people had developed the perception of death, they would not have lamented at the death of Princess Diana, fully comprehending that an inevitable event has taken place. Furthermore, there should be an understanding as to the causes of that death.

Princess Diana’s untimely death in a harsh manner was not without cause. It was with causes. So let us consider this important aspect of wisdom, i.e. an understanding of causes, understanding conditionality.

There are two fundamental aspects of causes. i.e. root causes and proximate causes. Generally, people pay attention to only proximate causes. All investigations are only into proximate causes. However, proximate causes can only arise if there are root causes. In principle, the root cause for harsh death and short life span is intentional cruelty. Particularly, taking sentient life. This intention [always accompanied with conceiving (tendency towards "I" and "mine")] is what is termed Kamma. For more details about the theory of Kamma please refer the section on "Theory of Kamma and Rebirth" in Beyond the Net. These intentional actions are from one’s past. It may be within that very life or in lives’ before. If there were no such cruel behavior in this life, it is then obviously from those before. That is merely a percept in time. Life span too is conditioned, it is determined. It is a fruit of intentional actions. The fruit of one’s evil deeds will follow one like the cart that follows the hoof of the ox. In the same way, the fruit of one’s wholesome deeds will follow one like one’s shadow. So, life span is something that you bring with you. It is one’s inheritance. Dependent on this inheritance, the necessary proximate causes arise to determine life span, whether long, average or short.

Likewise her beauty and fame are also not without causes. The fact that she was beautiful and adored by her people is also a fruit of her Kamma. Beauty and fame are a fruit of kindness and compassion. In the case of the Princess it may be a fruit of her kindness and compassion in this life as well as her lives before.

Now, let us consider the proximate causes that led to Princess Diana’s death. Investigations point to a driver under the influence of alcohol driving at high speed leading to the loss of control of the vehicle. Then there is the Paparazzi following her thus influencing the driver to go at high speed and been permitted to do so by the others in the vehicle including the Princess. More causes may emerge with further investigations. All these causes both root and proximate will find the mind as its forerunner. Above all, the mind of the Princess.

The fame and glory the Princess enjoyed and the constant pressure and lack of privacy that comes with it led her to use the back door, an alternative car and driver. It took her to her death. So a more subtle, yet the most relevant, proximate cause that led her to her death was her inability to handle the flood of fame and glory she enjoyed. She was ruffled and perturbed by the fame. Hence she took the back door in haste.

This is merely a mental state. Not been able to cope with fame, praise and blame. Had she been trained to handle praise and blame without been ruffled by them, she would have calmly walked through the front door and been driven by a sober driver who would have driven at the appropriate speed to ensure safety, whether the Paparazzi was around or not.

Coping with fame and praise is no easy matter. The great singer Elvis Presley too succumbed to fame and glory and finally to an untimely tragic death.

Those who go into fame, who receive high praise must know to guard against it. This means that one must not get intoxicated by fame and praise. It is very easy to get intoxicated by it. And if it happens, that very fame and praise will destroy you. Therefore one must develop the qualities that will provide the necessary guard against fame and praise.

One essential quality is austere living. Practicing austerity, is to be pleased with little. To lead a simple life and to abstain from extravagance. One may possess much wealth and have access to very high standards (materially) of life, and yet lead a simple and austere life. The practice of austeries is a great asset, a great power, a great blessing.

Another quality is the restraint of the senses. Constant catering to the pleasures of the senses will lead you to unhappiness, much misery.

Equally important is to live in right mindfulness which will eventually lead to right understanding, wisdom. Right mindfulness must be your foundation.

When one is endowed with these qualities, one can take on all the fame, praise and also the blame that will come one’s way. One will remain imperturbable, unruffled and calm amidst all of it. Otherwise, one simply cannot.

When one understands conditionality, the question of a Creator God does not arise. The principle must be understood in one’s own experience. Every single little experience arise with causes. Nothing is without cause. Nothing can arise only with one cause either. There will be several causes, even though one of them may be the main cause, without which the others cannot prevail. When one realises this principle, one will not look for situations without causes. The concept of creation stems from an attempt to provide an answer to the question of a beginning i.e. a situation without cause. In the one who does not understand conditionality, this question arises. He will never obtain a satisfactory answer to this question either, since the very question is irrelevant. The solution is to understand conditionality so that this question does not arise to harass the mind. Not arising, there is no harassment and the mind is at ease.

With all our experience including the death of Princess Diana, what Creation? The concept of Creation is born of ignorance, ignorance of conditionality. When ignorance ceases, the concept also ceases.