When Michael read this poem in one of his talks, there was no way I could possibly see him as being the temple bell less than a year later. Michael Stone has informed so much of how I practice, how I see the world and my role in it. I imagined studying with this brilliant, funny and compassionate teacher all my life. I got 7 years, and I am deeply grateful for that.  It is very unreal that he has passed from this world.

Michael was open with his students about his struggles with depression and how the history of mental illness in his own family scared him. Now that we know how his life ended, it is clear that we did not know the extent of it. As stated in the official statement posted by his family: He seemed unshakeable and capable of holding everyone else’s suffering. And he did, but he struggled with his own.

The bus from Copenhagen to Oslo takes about ten hours. It´s enough time to write and contemplate; to stare out the window and let the Scandinavian summer landscape pass by. Copenhagen was where I first went to study with Michael back in 2010. One thing I´ve learned very recently from experiencing two deaths in my family is that grief is physical. And while social media is a useful tool, it is not enough to hold deep sorrow. I got on a plane yesterday so I could sit with a community of people who knew and practiced with him. I needed to sit with people whose life Michael had impacted like he had mine. Together, we exchanged stories and memories, tears and silence.  It made the reality of his passing a bit easier to deal with.  There was more Michael in the room with us together.

One thing I learned from Michael relates to how he used to say that when we sit in meditation, we are sitting for the person next to us. We are sitting as still as we can to give support to everyone in the room. We sit so we can become less reactive and more responsive. It's a strategy that works outside of the meditation-hall, too. Michael taught us that our practice is always what is right here, right now. Right now, the sorrow runs deep, and with it, a need for each of us to extend our support.

How do we keep his teaching alive? How can we stay awake? How can we support others who are struggling? Right now I believe a very valuable practice is community.  Let us continue to get together and make an effort to meet up in person. Let us do what we can to support each other and Michael´s family. May Michael's legacy of books, talks, and courses continue to live on, through us, together and apart.  May our connections be the flowers of which the sound flow. 

Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time passes swiftly and opportunity is lost.
Let us awaken.
Awaken!

(Do not squander your life.)

If you feel called to support Carina and his family, to support Michael's continued work, here is the link of the go-fund me project.

Thank you Jon, for helping me write this.