Meditations on Mortality
Meditation is mainstream and it’s presented in a variety pack of options.
There are many forms, but often the whole idea is just to pay attention to an object or a process like breathing, or even an aspect of breathing like the sensation of air entering or exiting the nostrils. When anything else happens to distract attention, and it always does, the central act of meditation is to gently turn back to the air in the nostrils, or whatever the object is. And, most importantly, not to beat yourself up for losing attentiveness. Just to notice it and go back.
I’ve been doing this almost every day for over forty years and sometimes I go off thinking about something interesting for I don’t know how long before I notice it and go back. It happens.
Meditation isn’t a belief. It’s a behavior that gradually shapes us when we do it over and over. It’s shaped me, especially tamping down how I’d react almost like a reflex in certain situations.
That’s why I want to try using mortality as an object of meditation.
I’m not sure what’s Spiritual and what isn’t, but I know that our mortality matters to us every minute of every day whether we choose to pay attention to it or not.
I believe there are many ways we can build a healthy relationship with death and even come to appreciate the fact of…
