Understanding impermanence

In this article, we shall explore the topic of impermanence.

By understanding impermanence, we can free ourselves from huge amounts of suffering and we can apply this wisdom to our lives and experience peace and happiness.

In the last months, the author dealt with the death of two family members and is currently with someone that is going through the process of losing a loved one too. This was the inspiration behind this article, as it is relevant to each and every one of us. 

So, impermanence. Everything we know is constantly changing. It starts with physical objects. Every physical possession we have is bound to impermanence. If we have a beautiful new car, we can know that at some point this car will be outdated, may rust, get bumped or scratched by ourselves or others, or even get destroyed completely. Yes, even when we think that we shall take care of something and keep it in mint condition, circumstances beyond our control arise and this leads to change.

Things change, all the time. Impermanence.

Our once brand-new clothes are now faded, washed out, and worn out. Our beautiful hair-do grows out, our houses deteriorate. 

The same goes for our bodies. Our bodies are bound to change, we see this each day. Hair falling out, people with wrinkles, no more hair anymore, and so on. The body is bound to deteriorate. Just as our own bodies are getting older by the second, so are the bodies of our loved ones. We may not want to acknowledge this, but this is the truth, we can not deny it.

Some people go through drastic measures to modify their physical bodies, grasping and clinging to their youth. Some of us may have seen this. Plastic surgeries, injections, tucks, etc. Even though there is nothing wrong with this, it still does not prevent us from aging, it does not prevent change from happening. 

Further, our minds change all the time. Today we feel like this, tomorrow we feel like that. Now we want a warm cup of coffee more than anything else. Later, we want an ice-cold glass of water more than anything else. Now we are happy, later we are sad. Impermanence, all around us.

We can see and confirm that everything we experience in life is bound to change. This is clear, is it not? We are confronted with this every single day, but somehow we sometimes still live in denial, in ignorance, not wanting to accept the 'rules of the playground' we are playing in. 

Before we proceed to the next part, let's consider impermanence for a few moments, and acknowledge the reality of change happening, all around us, all the time.

The emptiness of objects

Now, we shall go a bit deeper into the existence of the phenomena we are dealing with every day.

Think about how things exist. Everything depends on a previous set of conditions or causes before it can come into existence. These events again depend on other conditions in order to exist. Does this make sense? Let's go into more detail.

Imagine that we have a beautiful new car, so beautiful that we even generate attachment towards this car.

However, let's think about what this car really is. It is a combination of parts, consisting of different materials, which had to be manufactured by people or machines built by people. Someone had to give these people jobs, these materials had to be manufactured or mined, and so it goes on. In the end, we can see that nothing is really solid, but depends on other circumstances to exist.

Even us as humans. We needed our parents to conceive us. We needed someone to raise us, to teach us how to read and we needed someone to feed us. In this way, we continuously depend on others.

What we are trying to point out, is that everything is depending on something else to exist, and the conditions for anything we know to exist, can change at any moment. We can lose our jobs or houses or cars in an instant when a natural disaster happens, anything is possible. It is clear, that absolutely everything is impermanent and will cease to exist as we know or perceive it.

This is obvious and quite simple to understand. With this in mind, we can ask ourselves the following question; Knowing this, why do we still get attached to objects, people, ideas, etc?

We get so attached to objects as we currently experience them, and we live in the illusion that this joy and happiness we are experiencing through something will remain forever. We may even think that some tangible object is the root of our joy and happiness. Most of us have probably done this at some point or another. 

Thinking that if we can just get that job, then we shall be truly happy. Or, if we can just move here or there, if we can just get this car, if this, if that... then we can be truly happy. Does this sound familiar? We do this, but not long after we have what we wanted, we realize we are still not happy, and we just start to seek the new 'thrill', which is simply another distraction from our unhappiness.

Wisdom and method

Now, let's consider the following. If we live with the understanding of impermanence, each day, we keep this in mind and we truly understand this, how much happier can we live? Less disappointment awaits us because we understand the true nature of the objects around us. We do not get attached to anyone or anything, because we know that everything is bound to change. Instead, with wisdom, we can enjoy absolutely everything, without generating attachment towards it. We can enjoy things for what they truly are, and appreciate them for what they truly are.

Cultivating this mindset is not only helpful to appreciate people and circumstances, but it also allows us to be happier when facing obstacles. Is this not true? Think about it, even when we go through difficult times - we can be sure that this too will change!

It is clear to see that this way of looking at life can be truly advantageous for us. When we act with wisdom, we can save ourselves from so much suffering.

In order to apply this understanding to our lives practically, we can practice the following:

Before we start our days, going to school, work, or even remaining at home, take five or ten minutes each morning and meditate on impermanence. We consider how everything, including our own minds and bodies, is bound to impermanence. With this understanding, we can take on the day, and enjoy our lives mindfully, without attachment, without suffering.

When we apply this wisdom to our lives, we shall notice how our mindsets change, how we un-condition our conditioned minds, and how we slowly start to pave our path to liberation with the stepping-stones of wisdom we are laying out. One step at a time!

 

A rainbow serving as a reminder of impermanence. We see it and appreciate it while it is there, knowing that this will soon cease to exist. When it disappears, we are not angry or upset, as we understand that this is the nature of it.
Photo taken in Gordon's Bay, South Africa, 2015.