The Buddha recommended that his disciples contemplate death each and every day. This body is of the nature to die. All conditioned things are impermanent. It is Springtime, everything is being born and we should not forget that birth is the number one cause of death.
When we remember our own mortality, and the mortality of everything and everyone we come in contact with, it motivates us. It realigns us with our deepest vows and intentions. Given the fact that I am going to die, at any point, how do I want to live? Is my to-do list really worth stressing about? Does that fat on my legs really matter? Do I want to spend my times thinking about myself? How do I want to spend my time?
What if I died today? What if I died after my next breath? How precious would that breath be? How closely would I pay attention? How fully would I love it? And who is it that dies anyhow? Who does the ‘I’ concept actually refer to?
This contemplation of death has the potential to completely shift our living, to help us prioritize what really matters and release what does not. We are already dying. How then do we want to live?
Love,
Shinei