What can I do in preparation for dying?

You are already preparing yourself by asking that question. We want to admit that we have no idea when it's going to happen. It could be in the next minute. This physical form is really fragile, and we have no idea when it's going to be broken. How do we prepare for that? We face it. We talk about it plainly, bluntly and often. We face the fact that we flinch every time we look at it. We prepare by turning toward it.

Some people think, 'Oh, that's so depressing.' But I find it enthralling to be reminded that this moment is precious and irrecoverable. It is all I have. And when I turn to look at the fact that this body is frail, I really attend to it in a new way. We need this internal facing up to the fact that we will not go on forever. Then we need a deliberate external process of talking about it in the most honest way. That requires us to admit all our fears, whether they embarrass us, or we think we shouldn’t have them. 

It’s very useful to just admit to all the funny and petty and strange little ideas we have about death.