Getting into a nice comfy position.
Settling yourself in for the next little while.
Gently closing your eyes.
Taking a nice few deep and slow breaths.
Upon finding your physical stillness,
Become aware of the stillness of your mind in this moment.
Your breath now slow and regular,
Natural and rhythmic.
Nowhere else to be but in this moment right now.
Feel the ground or the floor or furniture holding you as you let your body sink deeper and deeper toward the earth.
Feeling your muscles relaxing.
Your body becoming more and more seemingly heavy.
Intentionally relax your face now.
Softening those muscles around the eyes,
The forehead soft.
Gently curling your mouth ever so slightly up toward the sky.
Feel your cheeks spread and soften as you do.
Your jaw relaxing,
All tension seemingly being taken away from you by some delicate gravitational pull.
Become aware of a softening between the you there and the external world around you.
Get a sense of the line between your body and face and all that exists outside you is blurring somehow.
Your outline no longer a definite line but imagine pixelated smudging instead.
A softening of the face and relaxing of the body.
Now bring to mind the space behind your eyes,
An expansive universe of that same material which makes up galaxies,
Nebula,
The Milky Way.
Get a sense of the eternal vast spaciousness that exists behind your eyes.
For in the beginning there was a coming together,
A tidal wave of light,
A bringing forth of life.
Of hydrogen,
Helium,
Lithium,
A dense hot space.
We know that the six most common elements of life on earth are carbon,
Hydrogen,
Nitrogen,
Oxygen,
Sulfur and phosphorus.
Those same elements are abundant at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
The very same components in your body you see in the night sky,
Twinkling and sparkling above you.
In space time is limitless.
When you look up at the night sky by seeing stars as they appeared 4000 years ago,
Something past still radiating such pure beauty,
A seemingly infinite life.
Yes,
You are made of stardust,
Born from pure love and light.
Become aware of the stillness of this space behind your eyes.
This vast expansive universe,
This timeless beauty.
It's true that you are so much more than your thoughts.
Those 90,
000 thoughts a day,
Most of them repeated from the day before and so much more than your body.
This vessel for your spirit and stardust.
And this star shine irradiates through your eyes,
Helping you to see with light and clarity.
See that you are so much more than this body.
That your spirit is connected to the starlight in the night sky.
To the galaxies that live on forever.
Not only do you share these compounds with the galaxies,
But also on earth,
With the plants and the trees,
With all living creatures.
With the earth and the stones,
The water,
The rivers.
Your spirit shares that same divine connection with all these things that bring so much beauty to our everyday lives.
That nurture and help us to live these precious lives.
When the physical form can no longer carry your spirit.
Imagine it's like the beginning of a universe.
The beginning of a star,
Which then goes on to seed the next generation of stars.
And so from death comes life.
Not just in the night sky,
But here on earth,
Day and night.
The Buddha realized that one of the facets of human suffering was the fact that we become so attached to our material possessions,
Our bodies included.
So reliant on our bodies and our material possessions.
That we can forget we are part of a greater whole.
Part of a divine connection.
That moves at a whim.
Creating and destroying.
Dying and rebirthing.
The Buddha found that the more attached we are to things,
The more difficult it is to let go.
If you can perceive yourself as a part of a greater whole.
This wheel of creation.
You never stop really living.
Reality is,
After all,
Based on memory.
Our lives and the stories we tell others in ourselves are based on our memories and interpretation of those memories.
And you will forever be remembered.
Family.
Friends.
Community.
And you might not know what you will be remembered for.
If you have lived with integrity.
Practice compassion to those around you.
People will remember you with a smile.
And a warm opening of their heart.
And they will remember you when the wind catches the branches of the trees that rustle so delicately.
They will think of you.
And when that beautiful rainbow sprouts across the sky.
After the rain.
They'll think of you.
Every day.
Your spirit will live on in the hearts of those who have loved you.
And you are loved.
So deeply.
Just for being you.
And in your journey,
You have taught.
All your loved ones.
Such important teachings.
And those teachings will influence them.
For the rest of their lives.
Until they too.
Leave their vessel.
Their body.
And return.
To that divine.
Creation has come from in the beginning.
For you.
Do not be afraid.
Where you're going.
There is no pain.
See in your mind's eye.
A beautiful,
Radiating light.
A white.
Swirling star dust.
A sea of love and light.
See that light.
Come larger and larger.
Swirling delicately softly.
And aware of how you feel.
Witnessing this beautiful,
Divine light.
Yet a sense that as it gets closer to you.
You feel more and more calm.
More and more relaxed.
By the blissfulness of it.
Get a sense of becoming bathed by this divine light.
A warm,
Nurturing blanket of light now wrapping you up.
Making you feel protected and safe.
This beautiful,
Glowing light.
Caressing your whole body now.
All the way from the top of your head.
Wrapping around your shoulders.
Gently caressing your arms.
All the way down to your hands.
Glowing peace.
This divine light of love and protection.
Dropping you in a cocoon of peace and bliss.
Swirling further down over your chest and tummy.
The feelings of deep relaxation and safety.
As the light travels down over your hips and thighs.
Gently wrapping around your knees and calves.
And lastly your feet.
The light washing over each one of your toes.
Your whole body held by this divine,
Gentle white light.
And in this moment you too glow and sparkle like those stars above you in the night sky.
Bathe in this bliss a few moments more.
Yes,
You are made of stardust.
You will forever shine.
And be held by a divine love which stretches on for eternity.
You are brave.
You are wise.
In our hearts and in our minds.
Until the end of time.
Thank you.
