Sit comfortably in a quiet place,
Free from distractions.
With your eyes closed,
Gently focus your attention on the breath.
With each exhale breath,
Feel your hips,
Thighs,
And feet settle into your seat a bit more.
With each inhale breath,
Feel a slight lengthening of the spine,
A lift through the crown of your head.
Notice the movement of the breath.
And the subtle movement of the body.
Each supporting the other in holding you upright yet grounded.
You are relatively still,
But there's always movement present.
Always change.
Always process.
Always an ebb and flow.
Notice the continual presence of change in your breath and in your body.
And now silently say to yourself,
My death is certain.
As you speak the words,
Remain aware of your breath and your body.
My death is certain.
Notice any change,
Tightness,
Tension.
And use the exhale breath to release it.
My death is certain.
Just as the breath rises and falls,
Every single thing in this world comes into existence,
Stays for a while,
And then dissipates.
You are not exempt from this natural order of things,
This natural ebb and flow.
You are part of this cycle and you too will someday no longer be here.
As you contemplate this,
Stay present with body and breath.
Stay tall,
But relaxed.
At ease in your shoulders,
Your belly,
Your hips.
My death is certain.
Now silently say to yourself,
The time of my death is uncertain.
As you speak these words,
Notice any changes in your body or response through the breath.
Take care to continue breathing patiently,
Fully.
Take care to allow the body to soften.
The time of my death is uncertain.
We cannot know the future.
Anything can happen at any moment.
And our lives are fragile and precious.
As if with a flash of lightning this one life could end at any moment.
As you contemplate that reality,
Note what's happening in your body and with your breath.
The time of my death is uncertain.
Choose ease and a sense of freedom.
To control is futile,
So we choose instead to go with the flow.
In this moment,
Recognize the flow of the breath itself.
And generate a deep gratitude for the fact that you are here,
Healthy,
And well.
You cannot know when it will all disappear.
So rejoice for this opportunity,
This one breath.
The time of my death is uncertain.
And then say silently to yourself.
The only thing that can help me at the time of my death will be my own mind.
The only thing that can help me at the time of my death will be my own mind.
And notice,
Is there a reaction in the body or in the breath?
Recall that no matter how many friends you have,
No matter how many people love you,
No matter the family gathered around,
None of these people can go with you at the time of your death.
When it's time,
You will leave this world on your own.
The only thing that can help me at the time of my death will be my own mind.
Recall that no matter how many things you've accumulated,
No matter how much money you have in the bank,
No matter how much you've surrounded yourself with the comforts of the world,
None of it can go with you.
When it's time for you to leave the world.
The only thing that can help you in that moment will be your stability of mind.
Your clarity of mind.
Your ability to be present,
Patient,
Self-compassionate,
And wise.
The only thing that can help me at the time of my death will be my own mind.
Sit with those thoughts.
Notice how it feels in your body.
And allow it to develop within you.
A bit of a sense of urgency.
The only thing that can help me at the time of my death will be my own mind.
The opportunity you have to work on strengthening your mind is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
The opportunity you have to live a meaningful life.
Is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
The opportunity you have to be kind,
To make amends,
To give thanks,
To be present.
Is nowhere other than right here,
Right now.
Contemplate how it is that you would live each day.
If you truly believed with your whole body that each breath could possibly be your last.
Contemplate the effort that you would place on mindfulness,
Meditation,
And your mind.
If you truly believed with your whole body that only your mind could save you at the moment of your death.
Recognize that you are doing exactly what you should be doing right now,
Right here.
Take a moment to rejoice in this time you've spent meditating.
Rejoice in the importance you've given to mindfulness.
Rejoice in this opportunity.
This moment.
This breath.
