Being Okay With Mortality And Death

Find a comfortable place to sit and let your eyes close.

Bring your attention to the level of sensation.

Feel this body that you sit in.

Let the body be still.

Focus on the sensation of being in a body.

Notice the body's substantial quality.

Feel the solidity of the body.

Feel its weightiness,

How gravity pulls on its substance,

And receive this quality of solidity.

Feel the weight of the head resting on the neck.

Feel the musculature of that neck,

Its strength and its thickness.

Feel the long bones of the shoulders and the thick bony sockets that support the weight of the arms.

Feel the heaviness of the arms as they rest on either sides of the body.

Feel those heavy hands.

Feel the torso,

Its thickness,

Its weightiness,

The earth and quality of the body.

Feel this heavy body in which you reside.

Notice the solidity,

The density,

The earth element of the dense body.

The pull of gravity as the buttocks is drawn into the cushion of the chair,

As the feet press against the floor.

Notice gravity's action on this earthen body.

In this solid body,

Sensations arise.

Tingling,

Hot and cold,

Rough and smooth,

Soft and hard,

Sensations arising in the body.

Recognize this flickering field of sensation.

Don't grasp at the sensation,

Just allow these sensations to be received as they arise in the body.

Open to the sensations in the legs,

Their density and heaviness.

Feel the solidness of this body.

Explore this container for the life force.

And explore the life force as sensation arising and passing away.

And as you note these sensations,

Notice how though they arise in the heavy body,

They seem to be received by something subtler within,

Something lighter within this heavier form.

Within this heavy body is a body of awareness,

A light body which experiences hearing,

Seeing,

Tasting,

Touching,

Smelling,

Received through the outer body.

Feel the body of awareness,

This inner body,

This light body,

Perfectly nestled within the heavier form.

Sense the lighter body within,

The body of awareness that experiences all that enters through the senses.

It recognizes sounds as hearing,

It delights in music,

It experiences images as seeing and recognizes great beauty.

It experiences food as taste,

It knows it is alive.

Enter this light body of awareness now.

Observe how each breath drawn in through the nose of this heavy body is experienced.

Notice how each breath connects the heavy body with the light body,

Each breath allowing life,

Awareness to remain in the earthen vessel.

Observe the light body receiving the heavy body.

Feel this contact between the heavy body and the light body that each breath allows.

Feel how each breath sustains the light body,

Balanced perfectly within.

Breathe the connection between the outer body and the inner body,

Each breath so precious,

Each breath maintaining the connection,

Allowing life to remain in the body.

Feel how the breath connects the solid body with the light body and just experience each breath.

Just awareness and sensation,

Each breath.

Experience this delicate balance moment to moment,

As sensation,

As awareness itself,

And take each breath as though it were the last.

Experience each inhalation as though it were never to be followed by another,

Each breath the last.

Good.

Now,

As you know,

All of us will die sooner or later.

Death is inevitable.

No one is exempt.

Holding this thought in mind,

I abide in the breath.

Even though it may be difficult for you to realize that someday you will die,

There is no way around it.

Not a single being,

No matter how spiritually evolved,

Powerful,

Wealthy or motivated,

Has escaped death.

The Buddha,

Jesus and Mohammed did not evade it,

Nor will you or I.

All the gifts of your life,

Education,

Wealth,

Status,

Strength,

Fame,

Gender,

Friends and family,

Will make no difference.

Death lends profound equality to all of us.

When the mind wanders away from contemplating the inevitability of death,

Call it back.

You might resist by drifting in through or tuning to a thought or a fantasy.

Watch what your mind does to escape this simple fact.

Can you face the truth that death pervades every cell in your body?

Bring your attention back to this opportunity to touch the truth,

Realizing that you will die,

That each being precious to you will die,

That each person and each creature now on earth will die.

Good.

My lifespan is ever decreasing.

The human lifespan is ever decreasing.

Each breath brings us closer to death.

Holding this thought in mind,

I delve deeply into this truth.

Your lifespan lessens every moment.

Life flows,

For better or worse,

Between birth and death.

These two points of change.

Your continual movement toward death never stops.

Every breath you take in and give out,

Every word you speak,

Every thought you think,

Brings you closer to this destination.

Every step you take brings you closer to your final resting place.

As you consider this,

Notice what comes up in your mind.

If the mind attempts to divert you,

Call yourself back to the truth that your life is limited.

Appreciate what you have now and admit that there may be no tomorrow.

What are you doing with this life now to live it fully and to support a sane and gentle death?

What are you doing to help others and what gives your life meaning?

Good.

Death comes whether or not I'm prepared.

Death will indeed come whether or not we are prepared.

Holding this thought in mind,

I enter fully into the body of life.

Most of us will meet death without having strengthened our awareness of our true nature.

How much time do you now spend training and stabilizing your mind?

How many of your thoughts are you aware of?

How many are about freedom from suffering and death?

How often do you remember that death will come?

We spend so much time eating,

Drinking,

Grooming,

Playing,

Working and sleeping.

We conduct business,

Make and spend money and tend to our relationships.

Most of us are doing so little to prepare ourselves for death.

What kind of practice will strengthen your mind?

What can you do to wake up in this life?

Is your capacity to give attention to the mind and body adequate to meet the challenge of dying?

You can ready yourself right now.

Before the journey,

Please make the best arrangements possible for this destination called death.

Good.

My life span is not fixed.

Human life expectancy is uncertain.

Death can come at any time.

Holding this thought in mind,

I am attentive to each moment.

Think of the many beings who died today.

How many of them really thought they were going to die?

Do you really think that you know how much time you have left?

Death can come at any moment.

You could die this afternoon.

You could die tomorrow morning.

You could die on your way to work.

And you could die in your sleep.

Most of us try to avoid the sense that death can come at any time.

But its timing is unknown to us.

Can we live each day as if it were our last?

Can we relate to one another as if there were no tomorrow?

Good.

Death has many causes.

There are many causes of death.

Even habits and desires are precipitants.

Holding this thought in mind,

I consider the endless possibilities.

The cause of death are infinite.

You can die because of a storm or an accident.

You can die of cancer,

Heart disease,

Diabetes,

And even old age.

You can die of fear or of a broken heart.

Even if you've been diagnosed with a so-called terminal illness,

It may not be the cause of your death.

Many conditions bring death,

And the forces that sustain life are few.

Watch what your mind does when you contemplate the truth that death can come through so many doors.

Do you try to avoid this thought?

Or are you able to consider the possibilities?

Good.

My body is fragile and vulnerable.

The human body is fragile and vulnerable.

My life hangs by a breath.

Holding this thought in mind,

I attend as I inhale and exhale.

You may feel as if you will live forever,

Or growing older,

Seeing other people die.

You may know differently.

Life literally hangs by a breath.

Breathe in now,

And after exhaling,

Consider the possibility that you might not be able to inhale again.

When breath no longer enters your body,

Then your lifespan has ended,

And you will die.

So say to yourself now,

This life is fragile and completely dependent on my breath.

Can you allow yourself to really know this?

The beating of your heart and the activity of your brain give life to your life.

An accident,

A moment of violence,

A single misstep can bring your life to a surprising and rapid end.

Does knowing how vulnerable and fragile you are turn your mind toward living?

Good.

My material resources will be of no use to me.

At the time of my death,

Material resources are of no use.

Holding this thought in mind,

I invest wholeheartedly in the practice.

So imagine now,

Lying on your deathbed,

Growing weaker by the moment,

You've spent your life earning money and accumulating possessions.

You have a beautiful home,

Bank accounts,

An expensive car,

Fine clothes and jewelry,

But on the threshold of death,

What good are they?

Every single penny,

Every single item must be left behind.

All the comforts for which you work so hard.

They will be utterly useless at the hour of your death,

Or worse than useless.

Impediments to surrendering fully.

Can you see yourself clinging to your story and identity?

Consider that all you cherished will be redistributed when you die.

Everything you have accumulated will be given away to friends and relatives.

Some of it may end up in a thrift store or even a junk pile.

Now ask,

What is a sound investment to make in this life?

What will be important at the moment of death?

Release attachment and practice generosity now.

Good.

My loved ones cannot save me.

Our loved ones cannot keep us from death.

There is no delaying its advent.

Holding this thought in mind,

I exercise non-grasping.

It is only natural to turn to friends and family at times of difficulty.

However,

The people whom you love cannot keep death from you,

And strong attachments may produce sorrow and clinging,

Which will only make dying more difficult.

Your loved ones are powerless in the face of your death.

No matter how kind and adept your friends might be,

Ultimately,

There is nothing they can do for you when you are dying.

What really is going to help at the moment of your death?

Good.

My own body cannot help me when death comes.

The body cannot help us at death.

It too will be lost at that moment.

Holding this thought in mind,

I learn to let go.

You have spent so much time working on your body.

Feeding it,

Watering it,

Exercising it,

Dressing and undressing it,

Enjoying and not enjoying it.

You may spend hours thinking about your body,

Looking at it in the mirror,

Evaluating its appearance,

Trying to make it look younger and more beautiful.

This body has been your constant companion,

Sometimes a friend,

And sometimes an enemy.

You've experienced so much pain in it,

And so much pleasure.

You treasure it.

You despise it.

And at the moment of death,

You lose it.

Can you feel your dependence on your body,

Your attachment to it?

Can you see how holding on to your body might torment you?

Can you understand why there is so much fear,

So much clinging to life,

Such anger in anticipation of giving up life?

Can you feel compassion for yourself and for others?

What is really important in light of this truth that we cannot hold on to this body?

What can you do to prepare yourself to face your death skillfully and to help others face theirs?

Good.

Now let yourself breathe in deeply.

Now breathe out,

Letting go of any tension and any stress in the body.

There is nothing to fear in death,

Except fear itself.

Namaste.