Birthday Meditation

(As we get older we must remember that the passing of the days is not something to fear or regret. This meditation, based on the teachings of Buddha, reminds us of a broader perspective of passing time.)

Sit silently in a peaceful place. 
Now imagine yourself as having no self. 
You are simply a part of the natural world. 
You breathe in and you breath out. 
You continue from all time before this moment,
And continue to all time after this moment. 
You are not here in one place.
You are everywhere as part of the entire cosmos. 
You are empty of self and full of everything else. 

You see that the names we give things are simply convenient signs. 
A wave at the beach does not truly exist. 
The wave is not born only to die as it crashes on the beach. 
The true nature of the wave is water. 
The water is always there. 
The water is not born only to die on the beach. 
We are not truly born nor do we truly die. 
Long before our “births” we existed in our mother’s womb, in our parents actions and in all our ancestors,
And we will exist long after our “deaths” in our progeny, friends and our actions that ripple through the future. 

You understand that you do not have to chase things to be happy. 
You don’t need to be given gifts to experience joy.
You simply have to be present in every moment. 
Be one with your surroundings. 
Experience each breath you take. 
You are enough as you are. 
You don’t need to chase after who you think you should become.
Having love and compassion for all living things will naturally guide you in your life. 
You can realize your deepest dreams by living in the moment with joy and freedom. 
Your destination is in every step.

You now realize that a birthday is not a real thing. 
It is a figment of our imagination. 
Truly we are not born on a specific day because we existed before that day. 
Everything is impermanent because that is the only way to continue. 
From moment to moment everything changes. 
This makes every moment new and fresh. 
We are not getting older we are merely continuing to experience new moments. 
This is the way to peace.