Boundless Infinity of Love
The Lesson of Impermanence
How can death = happiness?
We need to recognize and to fully appreciate that the nature of things (people, situations, relationships, plants, animals, jobs, everything and everyone, even the universe itself) is ever changing. Everything we'd
like to think of as static and unchanging is in fact always changing. Living, growing, dying, progressing, regressing, etc. The natural state of things in the universe is impermanence.
If the nature of everything we hold dear and love is impermanence, if everything is dying, shouldn't that lead to hopelessness and despair? No, just the opposite is true. Once we understand the concept of impermanence, several things happen:
First, if everything is always dying, we learn to look at things as such. If you treat the next person you see as if they're dying, as indeed they are, how can you fail to treat that person with anything but compassion? If you treat everyone you see like that, with love and compassion, both you and everyone you meet will benefit.
Furthermore, once we realize that nothing is ever permanent, we begin to understand that it's foolish to try to hold on to things forever. The tighter we try to grip them, the more they slip through our fingers.
Once we understand the need to let go of everything, to stop trying to hold anything in our grip, we
release all our fears and bitterness. And if we have truly stopped trying to hold on to anything, why should we fear death? Death is not the end of the world, it is a part of the world.
If we fully understand the truth that is impermanence, we realize that only by letting go of everything, especially our fear of loss, can we embrace the joy of life and find peace and happiness.
That's how I see things, at least.
Much love and happiness,
Kevin