Epitaph Mantra

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“How do you want to be remembered?

If you were to write your epitaph, what would it look like?”

“Dani the Ever-Playful

Loved to play with ideas.

Playfully sought to master Thinking and understand Understanding,
to make life a Work of Art and inspire others to do the same.“

“What if you thought of it as a mantra – an epitaph mantra?”

“A mantra that’s also a Memento Mori reminder. Powerful.”

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The Art of Anchoring 5

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“What is the best Memento Mori reminder?”

“Your breath, because it’s always with you. Imagine the last breath you’ll ever take, and savor this breath as if it was your last.”

“What is the second-best reminder?”

“People. Acknowledge your common humanity. Imagine the last breath they’ll ever take, and revel in the shared moment as if it was their last.”

The most important daily practice

Lost time is never found again. (Benjamin Franklin)

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Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“What is the most important daily practice?”

“Memento Mori. 

Contemplating death.”

“Isn’t that a bit grim?

Why not contemplate life?”

“In contemplating death you are contemplating life. They’re two sides of the same coin.

There’s also value in their contrasting [<link; short read] effect. No better way to appreciate the immeasurable value of your time.”

“I keep forgetting it.”

“That’s why it’s a daily practice.”

Contrasts

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“I don’t like the sound of the church bells. It reminds me of death.”

“I’m grateful for everything that reminds me of death. It makes me appreciate life more.”

The Art of Perception 3

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Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“Why do you listen to sad music? Does it not affect your state?”

“You’re the Creator of your Inner World. You’re a Reality Painter, through the Meaning you assign to everything that’s happening to you. That’s what I call The Art of Perception.

I listen to sad music because it reminds me of Death, that there’s an End, which makes me access the Big-Picture Perspective, regain Balance, and, through Contrasting, appreciate life more. It’s also a reminder of Sameness, that it’s a fate we all share, which reveals the Path of Connection.”

Contrasting 2

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“Do you have something like a little mantra that connects you with the present moment?”

“I do. I say to myself:

I love you moment!

This is powerful because it also connects me with Love, which is my central value. And I make it even more powerful by saying it in Romanian, my native language:

Te iubesc clipa!

Then I bring to mind the thought of death, ‘Memento Mori‘, and say to myself:

I love you life! / Te iubesc viata!“

Contrasting

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“This too shall pass.“

“Must you spoil the moment?”

“There’s no better way to appreciate the moment than on the backdrop of the impermanence of all things.”