About Impermanence

Anything that has a beginning will have an ending. Anything that exists will have to go through forming, sustaining, decaying and disappearing. Anything that we are perceiving through our minds and the senses are constantly changing from moment to moment. This is the law of impermanence.

There is nothing wrong or bad with impermanence. If we know impermanence and know to accept the law of impermanence, there will be no suffering for us. The basic wisdom to transcend suffering is to know and to accept the law of impermanence.

Everything including the thoughts, the feelings, the emotions, and the things that we like and dislike about the taste, the smell, the touch, the sight and the sound are constantly changing from one moment to another.

The condition of our physical body and the happenings in our lives are changing from the moment we were born until the moment we meet death to this present physical body. We won’t be the same every moments – our health, strength and flexibility, what we can do and cannot do, and what we like and dislike.

By knowing the law of impermanence, we learn to be an observer to all the phenomena that are happening in the world, and also to our own mind, thoughts and feelings – whether good or bad, and not generating any likes and dislikes, cravings and aversions towards all these things. We learn to not attach towards any of the sensations that our mind perceived through the senses – whether comfortable or not comfortable.

We will stop judging anything because there is no certainty in everything. Everything is changing from good to bad, from bad to good, from non-existent to existent and from existent to non-existent. We will accept ourselves as we are in this present moment and accept other people as they are in this present moment – whether good or bad, happy or unhappy.

We will stop comparing ourselves with ourselves with our past performances because every moment the condition of our mind and the body, how we feel and what we can do and cannot do are constantly changing.

We will stop comparing ourselves with other people as well, because every individual has his or her own unique personality and talents, and everyone has different mentality and physical body. Even though spiritually, everyone is the same under the law of creation and destruction, and all are impermanent.

We will stop having any expectation towards anything and anybody because we know that everything are being governed by the law of cause and effect, and impermanence. We just do our best to give and serve, but we will renounce from the fruit of actions.

We also know how to appreciate good things and good relationships with the people, other living beings and the nature. We will know how to be content and control our greed and desires.

If we really know impermanence, we will be free from fear and worry.

There will be no anger, hatred, jealousy, greed and arrogance. We know we don’t have to give any values or meanings to any praise or censure. We will not be disturbed by any good compliments or bad criticism from anybody. We will be full of confidence but remain humble.

We will know that we are not this body, we are not this mind, we are not these feelings and thoughts, and this life and this body doesn’t really belong to what we think is 'I', and their existence is very temporary. This physical body and the function of the mind are just temporary being here to experience impermanent life existence, and to realize about selflessness or egolessness. Our actions are being done selflessly and free from the binding of karma if we know what is selflessness, attributelessness, namelessness, and formlessness. We know that the selfless consciousness or silent witness, is untouched by impermanence, impurities, birth and death, good and bad, and names and forms.

Whenever there is any impurities arise in our minds, we will have self-awareness and have self-control over our thoughts, actions and speech. We stop identify with all the impurities or thought activities, and not reacting towards all these selfless impermanent thoughts and feelings arising, changing, and passing away in the mind.

We stop categorize beings, things and happenings into good and bad. We can detach from what we think and believe is good and bad. We will not do anything that will cause unpeacefulness and disharmony for other living beings and our own self. We will perform actions that will bring peace and harmony to other living beings and to our own self without identification with our actions, and we renounce from the fruit of actions (non-attachment, non-identification, and non-expectation).

We also don’t have any obligation to perform any actions as well if we know what is action in inaction, and inaction in action. Whatever we do or don't do, is not a performance or obligation to show to ourselves and other people about whether we are doing something good or not doing anything bad, or whether we are performing our duties and responsibilities, or not.

We don’t have to prove to anyone to gain love, support, trust, confidence, acknowledgement, recognition, approval, or respect.

We will live in peace and harmony with all diverse living beings in the world without the discrimination of good and evil. Under the eyes of wisdom, there is no such thing as good or evil, positive or negative, happiness or unhappiness, meaningfulness or meaninglessness, success or failure, deserving or undeserving, and etc. There's only whether the minds are functioning under the influence of ignorance, or not.

If we truly know impermanence, we will be free from the craving and aversion towards happiness and unhappiness.

We don’t have to own/possess anything, or longing/craving for anything but still be able to enjoy what is there for us. We are at peace and content, as we are.

 

The understanding towards impermanence will eventually lead to the realization towards selflessness, where there is no 'I' existing in all kinds of names and forms. There is no 'I' in this body and mind. There is no 'I' to be happy or unhappy. There is no 'I' to be enjoying or suffering. There is no 'I' to be undergoing impermanent changes, or births and deaths.

May we all know this great wisdom of impermanence, and be free...

 

Inquire the truth of everything.