One of the so-called “remembrances” contains the statement, “We cannot escape impermanence.” This is recited daily in monasteries around the world. This article is about the advice that I recently gave to a colleague when she was troubled with the law of change.
Consider this wisdom teaching from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from my book, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to Awakening. It is the teaching on impermanence.
The Buddha taught that all conditioned things are impermanent. Everything must change. What are conditioned things? Anything that is subject to causes and conditions is a conditioned thing. This means your body, your children, your home, your city, your country, your planet and your universe are conditioned things and they are subject to change. The song goes something like this, “The Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble, but our love is here to stay.” Don’t believe it!
THE GOLDEN ROCK IN A SCENE FROM “THEY CALL IT MYANMAR”, A FILM BY ROBERT H. LIEBERMAN. PHOTO CREDIT: ROBERT H. LIEBERMAN/ PHOTOSYNTHESIS PRODUCTIONS
Even true love evolves. Eckhart Tolle teaches, “Even the sun will die.” When we recognize the insight of impermanence, we can learn to be in the present moment and take life just as it is. A lot of our suffering is related to wanting things to stay the way they are. Nature says they don’t.
Every cause has its effect. Every effect has its cause. This is the way it works everywhere in the universe. Everything has its consequences and when things happen as if by chance it is only a manifestation of a hidden cause. Our thoughts, feelings, words and deeds create the reactions of people and things around us. We must learn to take responsibility for everything we feel, think, say and do every moment of our lives. When we do wholesome things, good things happen. When we do unwholesome things, bad things happen. This is the law of karma.
How have you observed impermanence working in your life? Are you the same as when you were 19, or are you different? Let me know what you think.
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