Meditation On the Skeleton

Walking through a grove I approached a man sitting in the grass
He smiled at me as he stood to speak
He said
I’ll use my finger to point at myself
And then instead of pointing at his body he pointed at me
And then he pointed at the river and he pointed at the trees
And he said
The universe is in you
And you’re in the universe
The universe is in you
And you’re in the universe

He said
Imagine all that is left of your body is a white skeleton lying on the face of the earth
See the bones of your skull, your ribs, your hips, your legs, your arms, your fingers
Retain a half smile, that skeleton is not you
Your body is not you
The body, the body, the body
And he said
The universe is in you
And you’re in the universe
You’re present in every moment
Every moment is in you

He said
Smile and breathe as you concentrate on the point of your life’s beginning
Know that it is also the point of beginning of your death
See that both your life and death exist together
Their existence depends on each other
The two are not enemies, but aspects of the same reality
And he said
The universe is in you
And you’re in the universe
If you don’t embrace your death, you’ll hardly know how to live