Impermanence – the fact that everything changes – is foundational in Buddhism.
Buddha taught that everything which starts and rises is subject to ceasing and ending. We all age and die. No matter how badly we desire youth, there is no escaping aging and eventually death. The key for managing changes is to remain balanced and not be throw off by changing conditions. When a Taiwanese Zen Master was in his 70s, he was diagnosed with serious kidney failure and had to be treated by dialysis. Many of his followers, some very wealthy, offered to help him get a kidney transplant. “You are a great master and it will benefit us for you to remain alive as long as possible,” was the logic they present to him.
He declined without hesitation insisting whatever kidneys were available for transplant should go to a younger person, not someone who was already old and nearing the end of his life. There are two lessons from this Zen master: First, he knows how to age gracefully, not devoting his dwindling energies to fight with reality. Secondly, understanding impermanence empowered him to face death naturally, peacefully and with balance. Everything is subject to change. So, why be surprised, shocked or stunned when an unexpected, unwelcome circumstance emerges in your life?
Buddha taught that everything which starts and rises is subject to ceasing and ending. We all age and die. No matter how badly we desire youth, there is no escaping aging and eventually death. The key for managing changes is to remain balanced and not be throw off by changing conditions. When a Taiwanese Zen Master was in his 70s, he was diagnosed with serious kidney failure and had to be treated by dialysis. Many of his followers, some very wealthy, offered to help him get a kidney transplant. “You are a great master and it will benefit us for you to remain alive as long as possible,” was the logic they present to him.
He declined without hesitation insisting whatever kidneys were available for transplant should go to a younger person, not someone who was already old and nearing the end of his life. There are two lessons from this Zen master: First, he knows how to age gracefully, not devoting his dwindling energies to fight with reality. Secondly, understanding impermanence empowered him to face death naturally, peacefully and with balance. Everything is subject to change. So, why be surprised, shocked or stunned when an unexpected, unwelcome circumstance emerges in your life?
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