Last time I spoke about the precious opportunity to live well, help others, see more and more clearly, wake up. We are “free and well favored” to use the technical term.
This situation, what is called “Precious Human Birth” is the first category of the teachings called “The Four Reminders”. These are four contemplations that undermine our normal, conventional, habitual mind and remind us to look deeper into our experience and our world.
The second of the Four Reminders is about impermance and therefore death.
People, including a lot of Buddhist teachers, get really into talking about and contemplating death. It’s such a big topic, so mysterious, so universal, so mind blowing. It’s good to do so.
But the Buddha never talked about death. It was one of those topics he really didn’t want to speculate on.
He did talk, however, about impermance. When His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa was attending a luncheon at the United States Congress, a congressman asked him, “If Your Holiness could summarize the teachings of the Buddha in one sentence, what would that be?” Without hesitation, the Karmapa replied, “Everything changes.” source
Everything changes.
Everything is changing all the time.
Usually this fact is talked about in a negative sense, since we are so attached to the way things are - since we are seeking solidity and a reference point.
But everything changes and grows. Kids grow up. Sprouts become trees. The tide goes in and out. Stars are born, live and die.
If you don’t like your life, you can change it. We do not live in a fixed, solid world. We can move, make decisions, turn like a plant towards the sun.
Impermanence is the fact of life that gives us room to dance.
I’m not trying to sell it here, I’m just pointing out that it’s not a tragedy.
In fact, if you take impermanence to it’s logical conclusion, you unify your “self” with the rest of the world. None of us are separate from one another. None of us are outside the stream looking in. We are all together in this flow, beyond good or bad value judgements. Just together in this great river of experience.
We as individuals are alone and suffering. We collectively are alive, awake, warm and connected.