Impermanence
Where: Vajrasana Retreat Center, Suffolk, UK
When: April 23, 2009
"If you suffer, it is not because things are impermanent. It is because you believe things are permanent. When a flower dies, you don't suffer much, because you understand that flowers are impermanent. But you cannot accept the impermanence of your beloved one, and you suffer deeply when she passes away...
...Aware of impermanence, you become positive, loving and wise. Impermanence is good news. Without impermanence, nothing would be possible. With impermanence, every door is open for change. Impermanence is an instrument for our liberation."
Thich Nhat Hanh
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6 comments:
Yes! I have an unfinished essay whose thesis is essentially: "death is a liberator." Most people are afraid of death when in fact it is the inescapability of death which is the wonderful gift that makes us free.
Maybe I'll get around to finishing the essay sometime. :)
I've been reading Thich Nhat Hanh's "No Death, No Fear" - it's pretty good, although it reads like transcripts of talks, in the sense that there is a lot of repeating the same concept in slightly different ways, it's very oratorical. Really grokking, and accepting, that all things are impermenant is one of my primary projects at the moment. Dealing with change is not my forte. ;)
TNH and Pema Chödrön are my favorite Buddhist writers so far. I'm enjoying his translation of the life of the Buddha also.
Do you have any Buddhist related reading suggestions? I'm constantly looking for new stuff.
No, I am not a well-read buddhist.
Have you studied the sutras themselves? I have a book called "A Buddhist Bible" which is translations of a bunch of the sutras, edited by Dwight Goddard.
It's very difficult. I started reading it years ago and still haven't finished, but I like to read a little more of it every now and then.
No - I have a little book called "Dhammapada: Sayings of the Buddha", which I've read all of but it's really little. And a translation of the "Bodhisattvacharyacatara" (Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life) but I haven't read all of that one.
Thanks - this quote really touched me. I pride myself on being able to deal with "big changes" pretty well, but the truth is that it is only the superficial "big changes" that I handle well - moving, new job, etc. When it comes to personal relationships, I've always been dreadful at understanding the impermanence of things. But they are like everything else - nothing ever remains exactly the same. This quote is a good reminder of that. Plus it's a beautiful picture.
Hi Teri! I'm so glad the quote did something for you. I recommend him highly, I like his explanations of Buddhist thought and philosophies, they're very straightforward and accessible.
Pema Chödrön is more conversational in her writing, but also has a way of saying something in a way that resonates deeply. With me anyway. I have a several passages of hers that have created little half formed blog posts in my head. ;)
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