Question: “What do you think would be a good way to explain death to a child, from a Buddhist perspective?”
Buy a plant, flowers if possible that you can plant or put in the garden. Let the child care for it, water it, etc. Let them witness it flourishing and dying and re-flourishing again when the seasons come back. This is a great way to explain to them that life, in any form, will be born, get old, get sick, die and then come back again when it’s ready. That all life go from one from to another, even us.
Of course, maybe they’ll ask, where was I before or where will I go afterwards. Even adults ask these questions, but the answer is always, “You will find them.” As they get older and can meditate with you and you help explain to them meditation and its practices, they will be able to contemplate and develop the wisdom to find their true nature – the being that is not past, present or future – the real purpose that takes us from one life to another.
This form, this body is only a vessel. A hotel that we check in while traveling for business. Here, the hotel represents our body and the person checking in (the businessman/woman) is our consciousness. Each trip the business person checks in from one hotel to another, traveling everywhere, doing business, trying to be successful. Likewise, we go from one form of life to another trying to find ways to be successful, successful at realizing enlightenment.
As we go from one hotel to another, until we reach our final destination and get out of the hotel-jumping game and we get to enjoy our success and fortune. So death is a natural and necessary part of life. Even if we realized enlightenment in this lifetime, we still have to die, but we die knowing that we will not be reborn (unless we choose to) into a life of suffering.
Smile and be well!