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Preparing for your own death,
A meditation on what happens to your possessions after you die.
One concern about dying is what will happen to all your possessions,
Those treasures you accumulated or created,
Artworks,
Musical instruments,
Antiques,
Furniture,
Clothing,
Cars,
Books,
And many other things.
Let's look at that directly with a guided meditation.
Please make yourself comfortable either sitting or lying down.
Become aware of your body,
The places of strong sensations where it touches the chair or floor,
And the places of lighter sensations,
Perhaps,
Where your clothing moves against your body as you breathe.
Now bring to mind all the things you have bought or made during your entire lifetime.
Make an imaginary pile of all the food you have eaten,
The clothing you have bought or sewn,
And all the shoes,
Scarves,
Gloves,
And jewelry.
Add to that pile all the books you have bought and any art you have created or bought,
Paintings,
Sculptures,
Cups,
Bowls,
Plates,
Teapots,
Any poems you have written,
Any papers or books you have written.
You can add any structure you have bought,
Built,
Sheds,
Houses,
And any cars you have bought and owned.
Add to the pile any furniture or antiques you have owned and any objects you have collected.
How high and how wide is the pile of things you have bought,
Made,
Or consumed during your lifetime?
Now let go of the possessions you once had that have gone somewhere else.
Look just at the things you currently own.
Include anything in storage.
Imagine the pile of your current possessions,
Books,
Papers,
Clothing,
Shoes,
Computers,
Electronic equipment,
Musical instruments,
Beds,
Blankets,
Pillows,
Sheets,
Clothes hangers,
Beauty supplies,
Medicines,
Camping supplies,
Dishes,
Utensils,
Cooking pots and pans,
Appliances,
Coffee makers,
Blenders,
Other kitchen gadgets,
Washer,
Dryers,
To a stove,
Fridge,
Bicycles,
Skates,
Skis,
Lawn or garden equipment,
Cars,
Houses,
Condos.
Everything you currently own.
Now imagine that you suddenly and quietly collapse and die.
Without any pain or prior symptoms,
You peacefully collapse and die.
To your surprise,
Your awareness is now free of your body and quite clear.
You can see everything,
Hear everything,
But you have no agency.
You cannot speak or touch or change anything that happens below you.
You are only awareness and curiosity.
What is it like to be consciousness that is not tied to a body?
You decide to follow your possessions to see what happens to them.
Watch the pile of your possessions.
Are any taken by family?
Are any taken by friends?
Are some given away to goodwill or to places that will give them away again or sell them?
Will some end up in the trash,
In landfills?
What happens to the things you created?
Artwork,
Poems,
Blogs,
Books,
Recordings,
The videos,
The PowerPoints,
The music you composed,
The photos you took,
Everything you posted on social media,
The things you made of cloth,
Glass,
Wood or clay.
Watch as your former possessions move away and disperse.
And watch as the possession you call my body also disperses.
Now move forward 10 years.
Look again at what has happened to the possessions you had when your body died.
Look at what has happened to everything you created while your body was alive.
And what has happened to the possession you called my body 10 years after it collapsed and died.
Now move forward 50 years.
Look again at what has happened to the possessions you had when your body died.
Look at what has happened to everything you created while your body was alive.
And what has happened in 50 years to the possession you called my body.
Now move forward 100 years and look again at what has happened to all your possessions.
And what has happened to your body.
Finally,
Move forward 200 years.
What has happened to the possessions you had when your body died.
And what has happened to the possession you call my body.
Next you look with objectivity and equanimity at the causes you took up and worked for.
Social justice,
Racial equality,
Climate change,
Child abuse,
Domestic violence,
Political work,
Homelessness,
Hunger,
Gun control,
Elimination of certain diseases,
Spiritual awakening.
Any causes you took up and worked for when you had a body.
What has happened to those causes in a year?
What has happened to those causes in 10 years?
What has happened to those causes in 50 years?
In 100 years?
Were any of those causes picked up and carried forward by others?
Now look back at all the thoughts you had when you had a body.
What has happened to all those thoughts and ideas?
Do all the thoughts and ideas you had have any life after you die?
Has anyone picked up your ideas and carried them forward?
Now look back at all that you learned,
Interesting facts,
Classes you took,
Books you read.
What has happened to all that you learned?
Has anyone picked up what you learned and carried it forward?
Now look with interest and objectivity at all the emotions you felt when you had a body.
Look at the anger you felt and the people you gave it to.
Move forward to a year after you died.
What has happened to that anger,
That frustration,
That resentment,
That irritation that you felt and expressed when you had a body after a year has passed?
What has happened to that anger in 10 years,
In 50 years?
Was that anger,
That resentment carried forward by those you gave it to?
Was it passed on to others?
Now look with interest at the love you felt and all the people you gave it to.
Summon in your mind all the people that you love and expressed your love for.
Move forward in time to a year after you died.
What has happened to that love,
That friendliness,
That tenderness that you felt and expressed after a year has passed?
What has happened to that love after 10 years?
After 50 years?
Was that kindness,
That love,
That tenderness carried forward by those you gave it to?
Was it passed on to others?
Now look with interest at the spiritual or religious practices you did.
The concentration,
The compassion practices,
The loving kindness,
The sympathetic joy,
The tonglen,
The lojun,
The koans you passed,
The clearing of the heart-mind,
The shikantaza,
The resting and quiet open mind.
Moving forward in time to one year after the death of your body,
Does anything remain of these practices in the world?
Did those practices pass anything on to others?
Were they carried forward by those you gave them to and passed on to others?
Watch as you move forward in time 10 years.
Watch the energy of those practices.
Moving forward to 50 and then 100 years.
What has happened to those practices?
Did they move forward in time?
If you are able to come back into a body to practice and have agency,
Is there anything you would change?
Is there anything you would make a priority?
Is there anything that you would change as you go forward back in your body?
Now bringing attention back into your body which is still alive.
Becoming aware of the chair or the floor beneath your body,
Beneath your feet.
Bringing awareness to the movement of breathing.
To light and dark even if your eyes are closed.
To external sounds.
To the room around you.
And then when you're ready,
Opening your eyes.
Thank you.
Thank you.
