Frank Ostaseski, author of 'The Five Invitations: What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully', discusses death as a teacher and the importance of mindfulness. They explore embracing the reality of death, welcoming everything and pushing away nothing, exploring fear, the implications of living forever, the relationship between the present moment and the future, building an empathetic bridge, and meditation techniques for mindfulness of death.
Encounters with death prompt a transformation in priorities, making us mindful of what truly matters and helping us appreciate the impermanent nature of life.
By embracing the uncertainty of life, we can find fulfillment and meaning by investing fully in the present, valuing relationships, and engaging with constant change.
Embracing fear and being aware of our emotions can lead to growth and understanding, as often the suffering we experience is not from fear itself, but from our resistance to it.
Deep dives
Embracing the Awareness of Death
Death is emphasized as a powerful teacher, revealing the fragility and preciousness of life.
Shifting Perspectives and Embracing Change
Encounters with death prompt a transformation in priorities, making us mindful of what truly matters and helping us appreciate the impermanent nature of life.
Living Fully in the Present Moment
By embracing the uncertainty of life, we can find fulfillment and meaning by investing fully in the present, valuing relationships, and engaging with constant change.
Exploring Fear and Receptivity
Fearlessness does not mean the absence of fear. It means that fear is not the only thing present. By cultivating a certain kind of fearless receptivity, we can learn to deal with fear skillfully instead of trying to make it go away. Often, the suffering we experience is not from fear itself, but from our resistance to it. Pain plus resistance equals suffering. Embracing fear and being aware of our emotions can lead to growth and understanding.
Embracing Endings and Living Fully
Endings are an integral part of life. Rather than seeking closure, it is more beneficial to explore how we meet and navigate endings. Fully living means embracing the multi-dimensional aspects of life, including integrity, meaning, purpose, and belonging. Recognizing our interdependency and letting go of control allows us to fully engage with life. The ultimate questions of a fully lived life are: Am I loved? Did I love well?
In this episode, I discuss the topic of death with Frank Ostaseski, author of "The Five Invitations: What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully". Death is perhaps our greatest teacher, a close encounter with death can forever change our perspectives and priorities. Awareness of death is the secret to living more mindfully.