Exploring how the Buddha gave up the intoxication with youth, health and life. How mindfulness of death supports opening to our Buddha nature. Includes personal story about the experience of discontinuity in my near death experience.
These instructions introduce "thinking" as one of the six sense doors to cultivate mindful awareness of this includes identifying emotions and how to meet them in ones meditation practice. Included in these instructions are a brief introduction to choiceless awareness practice.
How Satipatthana directs us to the development of not just being present but presence of Mind. Presence of mind support letting go. Anathapindika faces death directly and is given instructions of not clinging to anything. This Sutta changes the teachings of Buddhism for non-monsastics.
With the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as the framework, we reflect on what we believe to be ourselves and use mindfulness practices to see ourselves more clearly in relation to the body, feelings/emotions, thoughts and Dhamma. In doing this, we untangle our attachments to self and discover who we really are.
How we understand death dharmically and in our personal lives holds the potential for mindfulness of death in ways that enrich and bring the fruits of the dharma into our lives.
