Great spiritual teachers and meditators never tire of reminding us of the transience of our earthly lives. Medieval Christian philosophers specially kept a human skull on their tables, which should have reminded them of the immensity of existence. And Buddhist monks in some Asian countries, as in previous times, meditate in cemeteries, increasing their awareness of their own frailty and mortality. Sooner or later - maybe many years from now, or a year from now, or even tomorrow - each of us will go into a different world. As we think about it from time to time, we make it easier for us to prioritize our lives - and we think about the reasons that make us meditate.
Of course, if you don't like thinking about death, you don't have to think about it. But maybe your fear of death will disappear as you open your heart to the wealth and infinite value of life. Take about ten minutes to this meditation exercise (taken from Jack Corfield's A Path with Heart).
1. Sit back, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, relaxing more and more with each breath.
2. Imagine that your death hour is fast and inexorably approaching, and the rest of your life is measured not even hours, but minutes.
Think of the transience and finitude of your earthly existence - you can die at any moment.
3. start thinking about your previous life by scrolling through it like a film.
4. When thinking about your life, choose two events that you would like to remember now.
It doesn't have to be some kind of "epochal" event in your life: in general, it can be quite ordinary, ordinary events.
5. Try to understand as deeply as possible what exactly made you remember these events; take a closer look at the qualities of your mind and heart that you associate with these events.
6. Note how these memories affect you - what feelings and other memories they awaken in you.
7. In light of these memories, think about how you might have lived your life differently if you had the opportunity to do so.
What kind of things would you be doing more time for? What qualities of being would you emphasize? Which person would you give more (or less) attention to?
8. Once you have finished this exercise and returned to your usual daily activities, look at yourself and see if your attitude towards your own life has changed.
Look deeper into your own soul
Sit back, take a few deep breaths and try to look deeper.
into your own soul and mind to get the answers to the following questions:
- What prompted me to meditate?
- What makes me meditate regularly?
- What results do I hope to achieve?
- What do I expect to learn?
Put aside the first thoughts that came to your mind, look even deeper into your soul and ask the question: "What is not satisfying to me in this life or what am I suffering from so much that it makes me turn to meditation?
- Do I want to reduce stress and calm my soul?
- Do I want to become happier and more satisfied with my life?
- Do I want answers to deeper questions like "Who am I?" or "What is the meaning of my life?
Perhaps you have compassion for people and want to help them. Perhaps your goal is to increase your performance. Perhaps you want to become more attentive and loving husband or parent. Write down your answers on a piece of paper, without giving any marks or comments, and return to them from time to time to maintain motivation. It is possible that your goals may change and deepen over time.
You want to improve your own life
Imagine that you are in trouble at work and trying to cope with it - including through meditation. You believe that meditation will help you learn how to concentrate your attention and increase your self-discipline. Or, suppose you have a tense relationship with someone close to you and you want to get rid of the constant conflict with the people around you.
You may be suffering from an illness and hope that regular meditation will help you to get rid of stress and improve your overall health. Perhaps you just want to improve your sporting performance. Finally, it is possible that you may want to get more pleasure from communicating with loved ones or more pleasure from rest.
Whatever the reason, your main concern at the moment is to correct or improve yourself and your external circumstances. This is an extremely noble intention!