Eckhart Tolle explains how Buddhist monks meditate among corpses to confront mortality and dissolve identification with the body. Contemplating impermanence deepens presence and reveals a non-physical awareness beyond form. Mark Twain noted that pre-birth non-existence involved no suffering, a frame that dissolves fear of death.
As you know, in some Buddhist traditions, the monks, from time to time, visit the morgue where they keep the dead bodies, and then they sit amongst the dead bodies and meditate for a few hours. It's very important to sometimes be aware of your mortality. Otherwise, you live in some illusory realm. But that's not a bad thing. That can deepen your presence when you see how temporary the physical form is. The contemplation of impermanence can have a deepening effect on you. In other words, the contemplation of death can have that deepening effect. To the ego, the egoic mind, it's very fearful. It says, I'm the body and I'm going to die. How is that possible? How could the world exist without me? Mark Twain said, I have no fear of death. Before I was born, I had already been dead for millions of years, and I haven't suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. Well, that's true. Was it so horrible before you were born? Of course, that could be interpreted as somebody who believes that you only have this incarnation. It could also be seen in a deeper sense. Before you were born, this entity existed for a while in another dimension, and then it reentered this dimension. Or if you don't believe that, then you can take it just at face value. He said, well, if you're thinking of it, it wasn't so bad not to have existed. I don't— I wasn't unhappy. In fact, it was great. But the contemplation of impermanence is a very— has this deepening effect on you. I always loved it. As you know, in some Buddhist traditions, the monks from time to time visit the morgue where they keep the dead bodies, and then they sit amongst the dead bodies and meditate for a few hours. Now, the Westerners, the Westerners, that's weird. But there is a purpose, there's a reason. It deepens you because you begin to disidentify from the physical form, and what's left is the nonphysical. But you don't have to do that. But if you've ever sat with somebody who's dying, you can see it can be a very deepening experience if you surrender into it. Or if you have ever come close to death, it can also be a very deepening experience.
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