Audio: Mindfulness of Death | January 05, 2026 | Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
Audio: Mindfulness of Death | June 18, 2021 | Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

I’ve had a few near-death experiences in my life. And they’ve all changed me profoundly. One time I was paralyzed in the hospital while writhing in intractable pain. I thought there was no way I’d survive. I couldn’t move anything, but I could whisper. And I could breathe. I noticed that, too. I thought that was odd. So, I focused on that. Nothing else mattered so what the hell. One: in and out. Two: in and out. Three: in and out. And so on. Nothing else mattered. No memory mattered, good or bad. No one in the world mattered, no matter who. Everything in my life up to that point that I had experienced didn’t matter. Everything was suddenly nothing. The focus that experience forced on me was utterly complete. The breath saved me, though. I still think about that every day even now. In and out.

Death can come to anyone at any time. You need to be ready.

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