I die before I die
In Buddhism, I think one of the main teachings is about accepting impermanence. Everything changes, from people in our lives through to possessions and environments. It is when we fight against this that we create suffering for ourselves. Many of the decisions we make are about trying to control and prevent changes in our lives. Deep down, they are based on our fear of death. There is a phrase which I think originates in Islam that goes... "Die before you die". This is simply an invitation to accept fully our mortality. We may be remembered for a few years or even a few hundred but ultimately our individual identity will fade and end.
The teachings I have been reading suggest that when we become at peace with this, we stop making life decisions based on fear, but instead from a place of peace. Constant dull self preservation decisions are replaced by more risk taking decisions. Self centred decisions are replaced with a wider compassion for all things. Worries about the future are replaced with a joy of being alive and being more aware of the present moment. To die before you die is also to realise that everything which is truly valuable and brings happiness is, and was already present within us, such as the ability to be kind, compassionate and loving. I don't pretend to fully understand all these teachings but they seem to be echoed in many religions as well as art and poetry....
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time." ~ T S Eliot
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