llcgasil.blogg.se - Zen time tracking

#Zen time tracking free#

Your lifespan is decreasing continuously.There are many ways to “look” at death, but the 11 th century Buddhist master Atisha gave us some nice tips. In forgetting to feel our mortality, we lose something precious - the feeling of being fully alive.Īnd that’s exactly why we need to practice Maranasati. See, we’re okay with cracking jokes about death, but otherwise, we prefer to ignore it. World Death Rate Holding Steady At 100 Percent If you don’t believe me, perhaps this article from The Onion will convince you. We’re so busy rushing around that we forget that none of us are getting out of this thing alive. I believe that meditating on death is one of the sanest things that we can do.ĭeath unites us all.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that meditating on death is not morbid, nor is it crazy, nor is it even that weird. That’s when I reach into my Zen toolbox for the Death Meditation. I do my qigong every day!īut on some mornings, I need extra-strength medicine. Maybe you’re thinking that I should’ve gone and done some qigong instead of meditating on death?ĭuh.

I know from experience that when I’m feeling helpless, I need to take action, to do SOMETHING. Maybe that’s why I love qigong so much - because it’s so empowering. I don’t know about you, but I HATE feeling helpless. The news makes me feel incredibly helpless. The news is so crazy - every single morning - that I can’t help but peek. I specifically avoid reading the news.īut lately, that’s been hard for me. Normally, my morning routine consists of qigong, coffee, writing, and walking the dog. Now for the longer answer… When You Feel Helpless… Short answer: Because meditating on death makes you feel more alive. Why on earth would someone do such a thing? Why would someone want to imagine dying? Or worse - their beloved dog dying?!? Feel the truth of it, the inevitability of it, the fact that you too, will one day die. The Maranasati technique can be summed up as follows:īreathe gently as if taking your last few breaths. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” – Marcus Aurelius Here’s a quote from the most famous Stoic of all time that sums it up: For example, the ancient Greeks had the Stoic tradition of Memento Mori. Western culture has had similar practices to Maranasati. Gowri Shankar of India for this recording! How cool is it that the internet can connect two Sifus from opposite sides of the planet?!? Amazing!) One of my readers, who happens to a qigong and kung fu teacher in India, sent me a short audio file with the proper pronunciation of “maranasati”. It’s a 2500-year-old Zen technique that traces back to the Buddha. The word Maranasati means “mindfulness of death”.

You might also want to read an old article of mine called: Here’s a Method That Is Helping Depressives Get through the Winter.

#Zen time tracking free#

Go through my the free qigong program that I released to support people through the pandemic.

You can chat live with a trained active listener 24 hours a day. It’s a cool site. If you’re not in crisis, but you need to talk to someone right now, then visit the 7 Cups of Tea website. These people can help you even if you have no idea how that’s possible.

If you’re in crisis and having dark thoughts about harming yourself, then please call 1-80, or click here: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Seriously.

Here are some helpful alternatives for you: If you’re currently in crisis, if you’re having thoughts about harming yourself, then please skip this technique for now. And maybe the timing isn’t right for you either. It’s not as fun as most other qigong techniques. However, this technique can be uncomfortable to practice for some people. Let me be clear that Death Meditation is not the same as having suicidal thoughts. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to thinking about death. Especially now.Īt the time, I had just won a battle against major depression and for the first time in years, I was no longer having suicidal thoughts. When I first learned about Death Meditation, it sounded crazy to me. Then I resumed my Death Meditation practice: “Death will come to my dog whether I’m prepared or not,” I said to myself. Then my little rescue pup fell into stride with me and I felt the warmth growing in my heart. “Good dog,” I said, praising him for his restraint. Pepper bristled at the duck but didn’t bark. Then, a Muscovy duck, with its strange, red head, waddled across the sidewalk. I breathed out gently through my mouth and looked at a beautiful magnolia tree. I was walking along a suburban, Florida sidewalk with my trusty mini-Schnauzer, Sgt. “Death will come to me whether I’m prepared or not.” “My body is fragile and vulnerable,” I said to myself.