Meditate on Death
“In a world dedicated to distraction, silence and stillness terrify us; we protect ourselves from with noise and frantic busyness. Looking into the nature of our mind is the last thing we would dare to do.” - Sogyal Rinpoche
When was the last time you sat still with your thoughts for a few minutes?
Without any cheap dopamine or external stimuli present.
Confronting your thoughts - one by one.
You probably can’t even recall the last time.
Tibetan monk Sogyal Rinpoche is the author of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying."
In the book, Rinpoche offers powerful insights to quiet our minds and connect more with the present moment around us.
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
“Just look at your mind for a few minutes. You will see that it is like a flea, constantly hopping to and fro. You will see that thoughts arise without any reason, without any connection. Swept along by the chaos of every moment, we are the victims of the fickleness of our mind.”
Many of us believe we have control over our thoughts when, in fact, our thoughts control us.
The only way to escape this vicious cycle, according to Rinpoche, is to continually practice mindfulness and acknowledge our thoughts in the present moment.
Over time, you'll get better at recognizing your thoughts and impulses, and they will start to have less control over you.
Rinpoche also argues that pondering on our death every day can help us prioritize what truly matters in our lives:
“This world can seem marvelously convincing until death collapses the illusion and evicts us from our hiding place.”
By pondering on our own mortality daily, we can learn to appreciate life more and find humility in knowing our circumstances can change at any moment.
In my opinion, “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” is a must-read for anyone looking to practice meditation and embrace the “memento mori” philosophy.
To order the book on Amazon or Audible, use this link .
Weekly Challenge - Focus Meditation
领英推荐
Whenever your mind starts to wander, bring it back to the present moment with this simple mindfulness exercise:
This exercise will force your brain to slow down and focus on one task at a time, training it to get better at focusing over time.
If you’re looking to learn more about meditation and how to adopt it in your daily life, I highly recommend listening to this episode from Dr. Andrew Huberman:
Limited Time Giveaway ?
I’m giving away a FREE digital copy of the Memento Mori Calendar ($35 value) to anyone that engages with the tweet below.
The calendar is designed as an interactive tool to help you harness the power of “Memento Mori” by visualizing your life in weeks.
I’ve been using the calendar for a few months now and it has had a profound effect on my productivity. The ritual of filling in a new square each week provides me with a renewed sense of accountability and motivates me to tackle the week ahead.
Additionally, I’ll be selecting 5 lucky participants to receive a framed physical copy via mail ($80 USD value)! You must reside in the USA, Canada, or Europe to qualify for a physical copy.
To enter the giveaway, simply click on the tweet below and follow the instructions on the tweet!
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