Exercise in Mindfuckery #1: What Does Being Dead Feel Like?

Death of the self, they call it. Death of the ego, they call it. Nothingness, they call it. Nirvana, they call it. They call it a lot of things.

But it’s not something you can call anything, because the thing that’s doing the calling is the exact same thing that’s standing in your way.

What your mind needs is not to think in words and concepts. Think in pictures, they translate better into… whatever.

So, to become enlightened, your “self” has to die. Sounds scary, right?

So, I’ll ask the question: Are you afraid of death? Yes?

I find it’s a funny thing to be afraid of. What is death? Death isn’t anything. Death can’t be anything. If you were experiencing death, you would not be dead, were you dead, you could not experience it. It’s always something that lies in the future.

Or, let me put it another way. If by “death” you merely mean “not being alive”, then that’s not something that should be able to scare you. “Think” back. “Feel” back. Try to get at that memory inside you. What were things like before you were alive?

Not being alive, you must have been dead, correct? Was it scary?

Thought not. QED.