So as you all know,
As we mentioned before,
The topic for this month were the core value that we're focusing on being wisdom and specifically the wisdom of our own death and mortality.
And it was nice actually just reflecting on different cultures and how different people from around the world embrace this inevitable phenomenon and particularly mentioning India and Varanasi and the burning Ghats.
And I remember the first time when I was there,
When I was just 20 years old and it was really the first time that I had seen,
I'd been that close to dead bodies and families were carrying the bodies down to the Ghats where they had built these elaborate funeral pyres and then placing the bodies there and then burning the bodies.
And of course,
As we could all imagine,
There was an element of sorrow,
But also in that experience being so close to this reality,
What my observation was is it actually heightened or invigorated people's experience to live more fully because the gap between living and dying was so apparent.
It wasn't something like ushered off in some place over there and then on occasion it touches our lives and then we come back to what seems to be a more sterile environment.
It's all happening in your face,
Birth and death at the same time.
And I think it's a really wonderful metaphor in terms of thinking about how this practice really can impact us.
And certainly I just know from my own experience and really I want to rely mostly upon that,
Both in terms of where I see the potential benefits,
But also in sharing the practice with you this evening,
The one that I do for myself.
And that is as we start to open ourselves up to this reality of our impermanence,
Our mortality and just the sheer recognition that 125 years from now,
None of us will be here.
That on this planet,
It will be a whole another generation of people.
And this reality that seems so stable and reliable and fixed is very much in flux.
And it would seem that if we start to bring that to mind,
That would be completely depressing.
And yet I know for myself,
It's actually had the complete opposite effect.
And a great example of this was yesterday I've been of course contemplating on this topic as we do in our organization.
We look at these values very seriously and not seriously like sternly,
Like,
You know,
Let's like be very professional about this,
But let's really engage ourselves in this process.
Let's let this be an invitation regardless of what's happening in the community.
If people want to join us,
Great,
But let's as an organization really see,
Can we support each other in digging a little bit deeper into these monthly values with a little bit more intention.
And so very much in that inspiration or with that enthusiasm,
Yesterday I ran what we call here at Flourish a cognoscopy on myself.
And the cognoscopy was really holding in mind as much as I could throughout the day that this very well could be my last day.
And at some point that will be true.
And it could have been yesterday and I,
You know,
I'm here today,
So it wasn't.
So we know that even though I was bearing that in mind,
It didn't come to fruition,
But the impact of considering that for myself when my wife came downstairs in the morning and I had actually just finished up my meditation practice and as usual we say good morning to each other,
But with this thought in mind this might be the last time that I have a chance to say good morning to my wife.
So it was a very different kind of good morning.
It wasn't like good morning.
You know,
There was a sense of like this is a really sacred moment of having this immediate connection that is something that won't always be there.
And the recognition of that to hold this interaction and exchange in a very deep intentional way.
And then it followed through when my kids came out of their bedroom and I saw them and I said,
God,
What if this is the last morning that I have an opportunity to say good morning to my two sons and make them breakfast and sit down and have breakfast with them.
And immediately as I was bearing this in mind,
There was so much interest and curiosity and even in small little things of just like smelling the couscous perhaps for the last time.
And tasting the flavors of my food.
And there was rather than this sense of urgency of getting to the next thing that seemed so guaranteed there was this real deep sense of feeling,
No,
This is it.
This is where it's happening right now.
And so it was like a razor that just shaved away all the anticipation for what was coming next.
And it just brightly illuminated what was happening right in that moment.
And it carried on throughout the day.
And then I would find myself,
This mindfulness of this experience waning a bit as I would get engaged in an activity or a conversation.
But then really holding this intention close in heart and mind to think as I was having a conversation,
Oh,
That might be the last time I connect with them.
And so there was just an extra feeling of warmth,
Of really wanting to savor the connection of this particular person and this particular experience.
And in this way it's said that this practice of really reflecting upon our own mortality,
Our own impermanence,
Is very much,
There was a beautiful metaphor that was used a few thousand years ago in talking about this practice that we know when we engage in these meditation practices,
They can leave an impression in our mind.
And the idea is we practice these more and more,
This impression starts to grow deeper and deeper.
And then that impression starts to translate in how we interact with the world around us.
And it's said that the impression of a meditation on death or mortality and permanence is like the impression that an elephant makes on the jungle floor.
It's a big impression.
And it has a.
.
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