Mexican head
Object location: Bedroom
With advancing age Sangharakshita was always aware of the possibility of death arriving at any time. Friends from Mexico had given him a number of hand-painted death-heads and Sangharakshita placed one on top of the bookcase at the end of his bed. It was a memento mori, a reminder of the inevitability of death. It attests also to his interest in Mexico, a place he had always wanted to visit. There are now several Triratna Buddhist centres there.
Almost the last thing I see at night is that white shape, that white head, and I know that yes, I am going to sleep but I may not wake up in the morning. And I have had on the whole a good life. There have been ups and downs, there have been difficulties, but there has also been, of course, tremendous blessings – the blessings of the Dharma, the blessings of friendship, the blessings of creativity. So I think when the time comes for me to part I don’t really have cause for complaint.
Nine Decades – A Life in Objects