In Buddhism there is something called the five remembrances.
It was written that people should contemplate on these things as a way to live a better life.
The following is a translation from Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
You might think,
Well that's a bit cheery for the new year.
But what do these mean for us then?
In this age?
In our society?
Some people might say there would be no point in dwelling on the things that we cannot change.
That it would be better to just live their lives,
To ignore this stuff and just get on with it.
But these writings were not given to make us feel depressed or guilty.
They are there to give us a much more rich and fulfilling life.
Let's look at them a little more closely.
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
Well we know that don't we?
In theory we are going to grow old.
But what if we contemplated that a little more?
The ageing process actually begins the day we are born and continues day after day.
But we don't often start to think about this until maybe we are in our 40s or 50s.
Maybe earlier for some,
Maybe later for some.
But when our faces start to change and our bodies start to ache,
We then begin to realise as if we didn't know it before,
We are getting old.
I know for me personally as the years are going by I have much more concern with my health.
I try eat well,
I exercise more,
I take good supplements.
But as a young person I lived as if I was never going to age.
I ate whatever I fancied and although I exercised that was to look good,
So I actually put my body through more than it really wanted.
I don't think I really took care of myself,
Of my health.
If I had a precious book,
Something that had been passed down in my family and was worth a lot of money and this book was old and the spine was going a bit and the pages were yellow and thinning,
Well I might take care of it.
I would treat it differently from a book that I had just bought that wasn't worth much.
So maybe the benefits of remembering I am growing old and I can't escape that is that I take better care of myself.
I remember that my mind,
My body and my mental health is very precious and I need to protect,
Nourish and nurture it.
I am of the nature to have ill health,
There is no way to escape ill health.
It's good to look after yourself,
To protect what we have been given as a gift,
Our life.
But no matter how well you look after yourself,
You are still going to get sick at some point in your life.
Fact,
We have to accept this.
We can't be indignant about that or be confused about it.
Our bodies are deteriorating,
You might have good health and sometimes with that comes a kind of pride and then if ill health ensues we can be in shock and confused.
So becoming mindful about our health is great to bring about a sense of gratitude for even the smallest amount of good health,
For even our breath.
I am of a nature to die,
I cannot escape death.
This one can be a difficult one to swallow but when we accept this fact,
When we know that our day will sometime come,
We cannot fight it.
We will enjoy each day even more.
Each moment spent in nature will become precious,
Each second spent with loved ones will be treasured.
If we don't remember this,
We often take our time for granted.
All that is dear to me will be separated from me.
Again how much do we take for granted?
People,
Things,
Time.
If we remember that this thing,
This person,
This time will not always be there then it becomes more prized and cherished.
And finally my actions are my only true belongings,
I can't escape the consequences of my actions.
Remember the law of cause and effect.
This is the relationship between everything.
A result is due to an event,
A reaction comes from an action.
Contemplating this can help us be mindful and careful of our actions,
Of our words,
Of our body language,
Of our thoughts.
We can't undo unkind actions,
We can't take back cruel words,
We can't negate a careless attitude towards others or our environment.
So recognising this helps us to take care,
To think before we speak,
To be mindful of what the consequences may be of any action we take.
I invite you to close your eyes if you wish.
Allow the body to relax.
And shift your weight or move if you can make yourself more comfortable.
You don't have to be in any kind of posture that you think you should be in for meditating.
Just be comfortable.
If that means laying down or leaning against a wall then do that.
Take your attention now to the parts of the body in contact with either the floor or the seat or the bed.
Which parts of the body are touching?
Your feet?
Your bottom?
Your legs?
Your back?
The back of your skull?
See if you can allow these parts to become heavier into the ground or the seat or the bed.
Can you allow the ground or the seat to receive the weight a little more?
Does your weight feel to be equally spread across those points?
Across your feet?
Across the buttocks?
The back?
The skull?
Take a check in here.
What's here for you right now?
How are you feeling?
What's going on for you in your mind?
Acknowledge this.
If your mind is busy and frantic,
Acknowledge it.
Accept it.
If you are worried or fearful,
Acknowledge and accept this also.
We're not here to fight anything away or deny it or change it.
Just allow it all to be there.
Remember the analogy of the being in sinking sand?
The more you fight it,
The more you sink.
Or don't.
Just lay back until you float.
Move your attention now to your chest.
Watch as it rises and falls with each breath that you take.
Rise,
Fall,
Rise,
Fall.
Begin to keep your attention there,
Only there.
The chest.
Rising and falling.
See if you can tune in to the sound of your breath.
Not thinking about what sound it's making,
Not applying any labels to it,
But just noticing the sound.
If you notice your mind is wandering,
Thinking,
Then just say,
Thinking,
And bring your attention back to listening.
Listening to your breath.
Let's contemplate together now on the remembrances.
I'm growing old.
No matter how old I am right now,
I can't escape aging.
Acknowledge this.
Accept this.
And I do more to protect and nourish my mind and body.
I am of the nature to get ill health at some point in my life.
I can't escape this.
Acknowledge this.
Accept it.
I can't I nurture my mind and body for health rather than a desired outcome of how I look.
I am of the nature to die.
I can't escape this.
Acknowledge this.
Accept this.
Our bodies will die.
From the moment we are born our bodies are dying.
That doesn't mean that our essential self will die.
Our source.
Can we become more mindful of how precious each and every day is?
Can we be grateful for this moment right now?
Everyone and everything around me is of a nature to change.
One day I will be separated from them.
I cannot escape this.
Acknowledge this.
Accept this.
Refusing to accept this will also bring suffering.
Can we protect and love the people and things entrusted to us?
Can we cherish them knowing the time with them is treasure?
My actions are my only belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of them.
Acknowledge this.
Accept this.
You cannot change actions from the past that you may regret.
But you can change your actions for now,
For today,
For tomorrow.
Can you be more mindful that every word you speak,
Every action you make will have consequences?
Can you contemplate what the consequences may be before you speak or act?
If some of the things that have come to your mind throughout this practice has made you feel emotions of sadness or fear,
Acknowledge them.
Accept them.
Don't deny what you are thinking or feeling.
Allow them space to be there.
Give yourself time to think about why you might feel these feelings.
We are often attached to our desired outcomes.
We want to live long and healthy lives.
We want to die peacefully and having achieved everything we want to do.
We want our family to always be around us.
But that's not always going to be the case.
Releasing the attachments we have to a particular outcome also releases us from shock and pain when things don't turn out the way we hoped.
And then we can come to a place of acceptance,
Which is a pillar in mindfulness.
Acceptance of the good as well as the sad,
The bad and the painful.
Letting go of the fight against what we cannot control is the ultimate freedom.
Here,
In acceptance,
There is peace.
Bring your attention back to the parts of the body in contact with the floor now.
And move your body in any way that feels right to you,
Taking care to be slow and gentle.
Maybe stretch a little.
Wriggle parts of your body,
Whatever you feel you need to do.
And open your eyes.
Thank you.
