The statement ‘death is your real nature’ may make no sense. Yet, this concept is well-known in Vedic traditions offering great comfort to the living and dying.
It is said that the one of the main fears for humans is the fear of death. Not death itself, rather the thoughts we tell ourselves around what death means for us. We cannot predict how any of us will be on our own deathbed however, opening to practices and conversations around death can support us to connect with our fear, our longings and also, our understandings.
In a talk, Death is Your Real Nature, by Sri Nochur Venkataraman, he says we open to the state of ‘death’, of letting go, every day when we go to sleep.
I know most people are happy to lie down and let everything go. What a relief to climb into bed at the end of a day. Letting go of all worldly concerns, family, friends, work, our pains and pleasures. For most people, we go to sleep willingly and joyfully. Some do not even want to leave that state when they wake in the morning!
We can lean into this knowing daily to harness our capacity to trust ‘letting go’. Knowing this truth, we can live life more fully. Knowing this state, free of all worries and concerns, is our true nature. Worries will still come and go, doing will come and go, and yet we can lean into this state of freedom, of rest, of deep peace with the same trust as when we lie down to go to sleep. It can take support, care, practice and re-wiring the brain to change our focus and live mindfully in presence.
To practice meditation regularly you are welcome to join me every Tuesday 7-7.30pm AEDT for a secular mindfulness practice and/or engage in honest conversations around death and dying you can join me for a monthly empathy circle or a six month program that explores this topic in more depth. Click here.
There is also a recorded a meditation practice here that can help support this familiarity and ease with letting go.