Death Contemplation Poster: Great Or Stupid Idea?

[Ray]

Hey guys!  

I find out that having in your flat wallpapers and images regarding what you are working is really effective to inspire you and remind you what you have to do. Then I think that the concept of death contemplation, or simply thinking about my death in a "healthy way" (almost seeing it thought mindfulness) is one of the most powerful tool to motivate myself or identify what I really want to do, therefore I thought to take a poster/image that remind me of death and put it on my flat... but I have a doubt: 

Seeing the image of death every day will "attract" / reprogram the subconscious mind in a negative way, like I will attract/look for death or it will inspire me? 

My answer would be a great idea and that it only depend from the way that I see it... so I should be aware to not look at it in my lower self... don't know if you get the idea 

 

What do you guys suggest? 

Thanks for the answers! 

[Saarah]

@Ray From the video about death contemplation I made some notes with the question "if I was more conscious of my death I would..." And then I listed a bunch of things, I've been reading it most days for the past month and it completely inspires me and fills me with joy as opposed to any negative feelings.

The list connects me with what's most important in life and just yesterday I remember after reading it I entered into a very calm state, not feeling like I needed to get up and do something I was just still, that was just once but it definitely makes you feel positive if your list is positive, you should go for it

[Ray]

@Saarah Yeah I already do the self contemplation exercise for almost 2 month and half every mornings... it's really amazing and I'm sure that I will do it again in the future. But here the question is different, is related to a poster, to an image that you have in your flat and "passively" help you thought your actualization journey, it's not an exercise. Still thanks for the advice! 

[Saarah]

@Ray I see what image are you planning on putting on using? 

[Leo Gura]

On my bathroom mirror I have written:

"You're gonna be DEAD soon! So enjoy existence now."

[Ray]

@Leo Gura Ahahah yeah that is what I'm talking about. But don't you think that it could be counterproductive? Probably is a stupid example but is the one that pop up in my mind: maybe Steve Jobs actually get a cancer because he programmed his submind every morning thinking about his death and what he would be doing if that was his last day...  In other terms my question is: this kind of death contemplation (quote or poster) program the submind in a healty way? It could be possible that death contemplation is different from optimism and positive affirmations and program the mind in a negative way? 

Maybe I'm just overthinking 

 

@Saarah I have search a little bit on google but I still didn't find a good picture... probably I will create a quote for myself like Leo have done.

 

[Azrael]

13 hours ago, Ray said:

Seeing the image of death every day will "attract" / reprogram the subconscious mind in a negative way, like I will attract/look for death or it will inspire me?

I guess it depends what your poster shows. I think this is a very good idea, dude! Thanks for sharing. If I think about death I always come to the conclusion that I deeply don't want to give a fuck at all what other people think about me and I guess this is one of the biggest things holding me back. Even though one might be self-confident, mindful and what not ... this society is so damn good to root that inside your psyche + you are wired that way.

So I guess if I had a poster seeing someone falling from a beautiful cliff in nature - looking down and realizing he will be dead in a few seconds - with a text saying "How much does your WhatsApp-Picture matter now?" it would have a very good effect on my psyche - or something according to that.

Fuck, I maybe do this. Thanks a lot you inspired me!

[charlie2dogs]

13 hours ago, Ray said:

Hey guys!  

I find out that having in your flat wallpapers and images regarding what you are working is really effective to inspire you and remind you what you have to do. Then I think that the concept of death contemplation, or simply thinking about my death in a "healthy way" (almost seeing it thought mindfulness) is one of the most powerful tool to motivate myself or identify what I really want to do, therefore I thought to take a poster/image that remind me of death and put it on my flat... but I have a doubt: 

Seeing the image of death every day will "attract" / reprogram the subconscious mind in a negative way, like I will attract/look for death or it will inspire me? 

My answer would be a great idea and that it only depend from the way that I see it... so I should be aware to not look at it in my lower self... don't know if you get the idea 

 

What do you guys suggest? 

Thanks for the answers! 

Ray there is only one thing that would help you understand death, forget the picture, put up pictures of life, beautiful enjoyable things, maybe a baby with a huge smile,  animals playing together.

Your core being is the real you, it existed before you took up the body you now have, it will exist after it leaves the body and the body ceases to function.  The most important question is will you leave the body in a conscious, aware, liberated state of being or will you leave the body functioning as an unconscious human identity, still controlled by all the programing and false belief that you carried in this lifetime.  When you leave the body everything isnt forgotten as if it never existed, what ever you are, what ever your state of being is at the end of this lifetime is what you will be after you leave the body, programing, beliefs, desires will still be there if you functioned as the human identity up until the time you leave this life.  over time you have allowed things to take root in your consciousness that is preventing you from being your highest potentail, may be causing you a great deal of pain and misery over time as well as for others.  the human body is a replication of your consciousness.  if you have problems in this physical life,  trying to solve them by dealing with symptoms of the physical body wont cure the problem,   the cure for all things can be found within consciousness by cleansing the thing that created the problem in the physical body. any sickness, disease or problem was created in consciousness before it manifested in the physical body.

[Saarah]

6 hours ago, Ray said:

 maybe Steve Jobs actually get a cancer because he programmed his submind every morning thinking about his death and what he would be doing if that was his last day...  

 

I actually thought this once about Steve jobs too, it could've just been chance that he happened to think about death and then got cancer, for many it comes from poor health decisions

but if it wasn't chance and it did play a big role, would it matter that much if you had a shorter but better quality life, dying earlier might not be a bad thing if every day was better quality, people only yearn to live longer because they're seeking more, once you have what it is we're always seeking you may not care

[Electron]

How funny is that that we are all here for a few years, then this all ends for eternity..

[Zephyr]

There are beautiful cemetery landscapes photography and sand clocks background off of the Internet for your desktop background. I actually have a sand clock as my background. 

[Leo Gura]

On 6/10/2016 at 2:44 AM, Ray said:

@Leo Gura Ahahah yeah that is what I'm talking about. But don't you think that it could be counterproductive? Probably is a stupid example but is the one that pop up in my mind: maybe Steve Jobs actually get a cancer because he programmed his submind every morning thinking about his death and what he would be doing if that was his last day...  In other terms my question is: this kind of death contemplation (quote or poster) program the submind in a healty way? It could be possible that death contemplation is different from optimism and positive affirmations and program the mind in a negative way? 

Maybe I'm just overthinking 

It all depends on how you view death. If you view it in a negative way, then yeah, perhaps.

But that's not how I personally view it.

If you watched the very last video of the life purpose, you know what I'm talking about when I look at death.

[Anna]

@Ray I believe this is a good idea. It also inspires me.

I always see myself sitting in my rocking chair when I'm old and how I remember my life. I also think about death a lot. I always remind myself I could die literally every second. It actually makes me grateful and motivates me.

So if you feel comfortable with a poster like this, go for it.

[Emerald]

On 6/9/2016 at 5:10 PM, Ray said:

Hey guys!  

I find out that having in your flat wallpapers and images regarding what you are working is really effective to inspire you and remind you what you have to do. Then I think that the concept of death contemplation, or simply thinking about my death in a "healthy way" (almost seeing it thought mindfulness) is one of the most powerful tool to motivate myself or identify what I really want to do, therefore I thought to take a poster/image that remind me of death and put it on my flat... but I have a doubt: 

Seeing the image of death every day will "attract" / reprogram the subconscious mind in a negative way, like I will attract/look for death or it will inspire me? 

My answer would be a great idea and that it only depend from the way that I see it... so I should be aware to not look at it in my lower self... don't know if you get the idea 

 

What do you guys suggest? 

Thanks for the answers! 

Death used in this way is a great and terrible motivator for those abiding in ego consciousness. It is a highly effective and addictive form of negative motivation.  Nothing will keep you motivated more than the thought that you will one day die. It was the horse whip that I once used to beat myself into being motivated toward my goals. The ego needs to feel significant, so death is enemy number one to the ego. So, many people seek to make their lives significant through aggrandizing their ego through 'doing.' This is the primary motivator for most people who are pursuing self-actualization. But no matter what you do, significance can never come to you. You will do and do and do for your entire life and never feel significant. You'll be running on a hamster wheel for your entire life. Your achievements and successes will only subdue your feelings of insignificance for a short time, but life will still be empty. No matter how much you achieve, you will die and be forgotten. If you're "lucky" enough to get famous enough to go down in history, your life will amount to nothing more than a boring footnote in a history book that no one wants to read anyway.

I know that I sound like a ray of sunshine, but I hope that this is illuminating to you. Resistance to death is a perfect obstacle for the ego to struggle against. It is struggle that the ego needs to maintain its foothold on your consciousness. If you're interested in enlightenment, don't use death as a motivator. It will be a huge barrier because you'll become addicted to using this 'ego vs. death' struggle for the sake of achievement and motivation. It's a difficult addiction to break because it will seem to reap you many rewards.

Instead, use only genuine motivation toward future visions to motivate yourself. If you want something to happen for the sake of it happening, the motivation will come naturally. The completion and enjoyment of the task and the fruit it produces will be the reward, not the inflation of ego and temporary feeling of relief from the ever-present emptiness that motivates most people. Always ask yourself why you want what you want.

@Leo Gura - Any thoughts?

Edited June 11, 2016 by Emerald Wilkins

[Mal]

@Ray

"What do I have to do today to die complete?"

The only thing that needs to die is your will to be. This won't happen until you are so tired of trying to be something that you just sit down and realize what you have been doing. 

This moment is the birth of "The Witness" you are.  The non evaluative being behind all your thoughts and emotional processes. 

Make sure your awakening is not contrived,  It can only happen when you have had enough. Nobody can will an awakening.

Mal

Edited June 11, 2016 by Mal

[Steven]

On 9 June 2016 at 5:59 AM, Leo Gura said:

On my bathroom mirror I have written:

"You're gonna be DEAD soon! So enjoy existence now."

I've just copied this and created a label in my phone alarm?

I was looking for something like this but only came up with "What is the best use of your time right NOW? Hint: Awareness "

[Ray]

@Leo Gura yeah really loved that part of the Lp course, best way to end it, really. 

@Arik happy that it helped you

@Saarah Yay I was thinking omg maybe that was a really dumb example "but I'm not the only one" *emoticon of musical note*. Anyway one of the things that I've learned so far in my life -but I still have to understand it a lot more deeply- is that quality is better than quantity (except for money, money are greater in big quantity ahah), so I would prefer a shorter life than a long miserable life. 

@Electron ahah yeah! I find more and more existence funny: isn't all paradoxical and even ridiculous how everything works? like for real why did gravity and death or shit like that exist? the universe could literally work in many other way! Life is a big fat WTF. 

@Zephyr Thanks for the advice: you made me think about the documentary Samsara and maybe I will take a picture from there as my death contemplation poster (BTW if anyone of you guys don't have saw that movie you are literally missing out something amazing, like a Leo's channel )

@Emerald Wilkins Great answer! thanks so much for the big advice. I'm still not an expert in enlightenment work but as long as I'm alive I'm on the journey to reaching it. But actually right now I still don't have that success that enables me to be at least economically independent and my major struggle is procrastination therefore I would accept to slow down my enlightenment work (even if deep down -as far as I know- there are no really slow down). I think leo already have given his thought about it: he don't believe it's a problem... In any case I will make it, and if he's right better for me ahah

@Mal Thanks for the reminder: I will never stop my journey towards enlightenment, and maybe if I will found out that this really give me problem I can simply remove the poster. 

@charlie2dogs wow, deep stuff man, thanks I appreciate it. And deep down maybe I find that you are right, more precisely regarding the part with the positive motivation... So what I thought is that I will put another poster with that kind of motivation  . 

Anyway here are my conclusion: I will have my death contemplation poster and if after some time I feel that is working the wrong way I will simply change /remove it. 

Here are my ideas for the poster: 

1) A quote from the Wheel of time: Death is a twirl; death is a shiny cloud over the horizon; death is me talking to you; death is you and your writing pad; death id nothing. Nothing! it's here yet isn't here at all. 

2) I'm actually studying art so if I will found some great artist that have made a art piece that enspire me regarding to death I will love to use it as a poster. 

3) A picture from the movie samsara (cemetery landscape or desolate land). 

4) But the most probable is the attached image Void 1 or Void 2. (I've put some of the best image that I've personally found in case you guys would like to have some inspiration). 

In any case I will let you know in some month how that "project" went! 

Thanks all of you for your advices! Love so much that forum! 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2016 by Ray