All of the world’s wisdom traditions and religions that I know of have something within their canon that is of at least some benefit to humans at least some of the time. This thought came to me as I walked yesterday in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Oakland, California, a neighborhood I lived in for several years. As I walked I noticed several empty storefronts where, in some cases, just a few short months ago were what seemed to be vibrant businesses.
Many people are talking and have been talking about the recession. I don’t talk about it much for reasons that are better suited for another piece of writing. Still, while walking in this part of Oakland it was very clear that something was happening, something was impacting even this relatively wealthy and stable neighborhood in the city. That is when I started wondering what spiritual or religious principle could be helpful to people who pass these empty storefronts on a daily basis and may begin to experience some depression or even a little hopelessness. Impermanence, an important concept within Buddhism is what came to mind.
The film Little Buddha is one of my favorites. The film is essentially two films in one. One segment deals with the young life of Siddhārtha Gautama, the historical Buddha. The other segment deals with the death of a well-known Tibetan Lama and the search for his reincarnated soul. There are three “candidates” for the reincarnated Lama. One of these candidates happens to be a young American boy. Neither the young boy nor his parents know anything about Buddhism. A wise Tibetan monk tutors him. At one point the young boy and his teacher are discussing the concept of impermanence and the young boy asks what it is. They are in downtown Seattle when this conversation takes place. The monk simply points to the many people walking in the downtown area and says, “See all these people? In 100 years none of them will be here. That’s impermanence.” It’s one of my all-time favorite illustrations of the concept of impermanence.
I believe one of the best ways to deal with the myriad types of losses that are occurring to millions upon millions of people right now—and I am one of them—is to understand it all through the prism of impermanence: Fortunes rise, fortunes fall, chop wood, carry water—impermanence. Businesses prosper, businesses fail, chop wood, carry water—impermanence. Physical life forms are born, physical life forms die, chop wood, carry water—impermanence.
Some may view this approach as a cruel, emotionless way to deal with the losses and difficulties of life. What I say is that we can either become negatively reactive when we label something as “gone wrong” in our lives or we can attempt to find coping strategies for accepting “what is” while at the same time opening ourselves up to the peace that passes all understanding. Grief however, is a natural response to loss. So I am not talking about eclipsing the natural grief process. This approach does not prevent anyone from engaging in a natural grief process. That is because at root and in its purest expression, grief is part of something larger. It is part of a larger healing process. Reactivity ultimately rarely contributes in a positive way toward healing. Accepting what is, on the other hand, and in this case, we are talking about accepting the impermanence of life-- is always a healing endeavor. This is because accepting *what is* places us in alignment with the present moment. And the present moment is the only moment that really, truly exists. Reactivity places us squarely in the past by having us replay tapes around the moments when something “bad” happened. Or it places us squarely in the future by having us project out into a time when we imagine things will be “better.” Both of these “times” are false and not real because they have either passed or have not yet occurred.
Impermanence then, and recognizing the positive role it can play in our lives becomes both a way for us to stay present in the moment and to *what is* and it allows us to participate in our own healing process at the same time. The western/Christian influenced near equivalent to this concept and which also adds a different layer of depth is the phrase, "this too shall pass."
Chop wood, carry water—impermanence.
© Raven/Sage Mahosadha
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