Your Memorial

Sit in a quiet place, remove all distractions, and play some light, relaxing music. Now ask a friend to read the following passage to you.

Close your eyes, inhale deeply, withdraw your mind from the daily pressures and concentrate on the breathing sensation at your nostrils. Slowly take yourself on a guided meditation into the future.

Fast forward twenty years, and in your mind’s eye picture a large gathering of people coming into a room. The mood is sombre and serious. You have departed the world, and this is the occasion of your own memorial service. Now try to picture the scene – Where have you gathered? Who has come? What are they thinking and feeling? How do you feel seeing them all?

Everyone is now seated and the person who knows you best comes forward to give a eulogy. Who would that person be? They begin to talk about your life, where you were born, your youth, education, where your first job was and your family situation. They talk about your interests and the major junctures in your lifetime. Try to envisage the speech.

Please turn over now..

As they begin to reveal their deeper feelings, how would you like them to complete the following sentences:

Statement
Answer

What I loved most about their personality was...

Their greatest achievement was…

They made a difference to the world by…

When you reflect on your activities and character in the past week you can ask yourself what you have done to become the person that you have just described.

Krishna teaches Arjuna about his deeper identity, what the goal of life is, and where happiness is really to be found. Having this clarity at the beginning of each day helps us align our activities and energy accordingly. When we have clear answers to these questions that we have deliberated on, it helps overcome the external obstacles and internal blocks that may divert us from our real path in life.

This is an activity that can be done regularly in order to re-calibrate your vision and reassess your priorities.

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