Death as an Awareness Tool
Keywords: death as an advisor, bushido
This post is only distantly related to the actual techniques that comprise the body of Architect of Thought. I decided to write it (and the last one) because I thought it might help someone who would be reading this newsletter, and also because I hope there’s no harm in doing so.
Epistemic status: highly uncertain. I’ve seen a lot of self-reporting on the approach I will describe here but there is neither conclusive research nor consensus on the topic.
Disclaimer: I’ve spent considerable time trying to wrap up this post in poetic words but in the end, it doesn’t matter. I’m just sharing the basic idea and you apply it however you want.
When we think about our death, we’re often afraid of it (if not to say terrified). Yet it’s not the only way to perceive it. Probably the most polar to being afraid is to embrace death, to make it your advisor who is constantly asking: “If you die the next moment, what your life should look like right now?”
Death’s answer is not necessarily trite. You may have chosen some pursuit in life, but you surely don’t have to stick to it 100% of the time. So, being mindful of death does not mean nailing yourself down to whatever rigid activity you think you should make sufficient progress in.
What it does mean is that this glance you cast at possible imminent death, it helps you to focus on the moment. Even one such glance a day can make you sober.
The idea of death as an advisor first appeared in my life after reading several of Carlos Castaneda’s books. But in human history, there were entire cultures that revered death and used it as a tool to achieve transcendence. Samurai were the most famous one and probably the most prolific one in terms of written records of their philosophy.
The essence of what bushido is about lives in this quote:
If by setting one’s heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way.
I’ll stop here. For further digging this topic I recommend:
The first 4 books of Castaneda (or you can just read the third and fourth ones because the first two are mostly filled with stories of psychedelic trips):
Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (not that it’s centered on death but it’s instrumental in applying some of the concepts)
P.S. If I did read Castaneda’s works today, I’d probably not recommend them so please be ready for a certain amount of cringe you may find there.
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