One day,
You and I will pass from this body.
And whilst it can be a sad and scary reality,
I believe we can look upon it in a much more positive light.
Someone once asked the Buddha,
Skeptically,
What have you gained from meditation?
The Buddha replied,
Nothing at all.
Then blessed one,
What good is it?
The Buddha said,
Let me tell you what I have lost from the meditation.
Sickness,
Anger,
Depression,
Insecurity,
The burden of old age and the fear of death.
I agree with the Buddha that meditation is a fantastic tool that can help us let go of the many fears of the human psyche and help us make peace with our mortality.
Death teaches us many things.
Death teaches us to cherish each day and every moment.
It teaches us to follow our dreams.
It teaches us to love without measure.
It teaches us to learn whilst we still can.
If we had this body forever,
Would each physical achievement matter so much?
Would each moment be so precious?
And would we take that risk to follow our dreams?
As Maximus said in the Gladiator movie,
Death smiles at us all.
All a man can do is smile back.
Although death is our ultimate destiny,
I think he's saying we must not fear it or we will never truly live.
The irony of fear,
Stress is that cortisol,
The stress hormone,
Is one of the biggest killers itself and too much is awful for the body.
Never mind the soul destroying impact of constantly living in fear.
Perhaps our body may be mortal,
But our kind deeds,
Our love and the joy and laughter we create will echo in eternity.
Think about it,
Every positive action we take affects the people around us,
Which affects the people around them.
So on and so forth.
If we lead with love and kindness,
This will be passed down to future generations.
Then it is clear that if we believe our soul is infinite or not,
Our actions and words leave a permanent mark on this world.
And whilst our body may rot and our name be forgotten,
Our spirit lives on through our ancestors forever.
In Bhutan,
A country I admire for calculating their success and gross national happiness rather than gross domestic product.
People are encouraged to contemplate death for five minutes per day.
Psychology has proven there's method in the madness and this contemplation can bring us joy.
For the Bhutanese recognize that death is part of life,
Whether we like it or not.
And ignoring this essential truth comes at a heavy psychological cost.
Linda Leaning who wrote the book Living and Learning in Bhutan said of her experience,
I realized thinking about death doesn't depress me.
It makes me seize the moment and see things I might not ordinarily see.
Beautifully put by Linda.
These words are not to discredit someone in fear of death,
Which is totally understandable.
They are rather to empower you and enlighten a new angle of perception.
Next time you make a big decision,
Ask yourself,
What would the future me and my deathbed advise you to do?
Next time you feel guilty about living your life to the full,
Ask yourself,
Would your ancestors want it any other way?
Invite yourself from the chains of fear and make death your friend.
I now invite you to sit in peace with these words and contemplate our eventual passing of acceptance and a wise mind.
Feel free to take as long as you feel necessary.
And remember,
We don't only live once,
We live every second of every day.
Embrace each one.
Embrace each one.
Embrace each one.
Embrace each one.
