Impermanence is Freeing

There Three Dharma Seals are impermanence, nonself, and nirvana and are a crucial aspect of Buddhism. The First Dharma Seal is impermanence. Though pretty self explanatory, impermanence is the notion that nothing is permanent, nothing lasts forever. Though this concept first makes people defensive (Don’t tell me I’m going to stop loving my husband!) and hesitant (nobody likes thinking of their home, their family, everything they’ve worked for as simply temporary), it is actually a fantastic and very real way of seeing life.

You see, impermanence is what makes us treasure life itself. Yes, “Flowers decompose, but knowing this does not prevent us from loving flowers. In fact, we are able to love them more because we know how to treasure them while they are still alive. If we learn to look at a flower in a way that impermanence is revealed to us, when it dies, we will not suffer” (Hanh 131). If one fully envelops this notion of impermanence, it is as if, in a way, they have humbled themselves completely. “Impermanence teaches us to respect and value every moment and all the precious things around us and inside of us” (Hanh 132).

Often times in relationships, people take their significant other for granted. They expect that their lover will always be with them, always take care of them, and always love them. However, impermanence shows that this is not the case, and thank god for that. “When we know that the person we love is impermanent, we will cherish our beloved all the more” (Hanh 132).

I was once in a relationship with a man who did not understand the concept of impermanence, ignorantly so. He felt that since we were together and loved each other, we would be together forever. Unfortunately for me, that meant he felt no obligation to dress nicely for me, try to impress me, be polite, or even stay loyal. After all, in his mind why would he have to? I was his. It was a done deal. But the great thing is, it’s not a done deal. Impermanence is a key role in life and I quickly realized that he was not what I wanted and I ended things with him. “Thanks to impermanence, we can change suffering into joy” (Hanh 133). And boy, did I ever switch from suffering to joy!

Impermanence is all about learning to, “appreciate fully what is there, without attachment or forgetfulness” (Hanh 133). Impermanence, being such a challenging concept to fully immerse oneself in, has led me to photography. Pictures are able to capture a moment, a feeling, anything…and in that sense, the photographs are permanent (until they get lost or ruined or destroyed). They have helped to document how life was at a specific moment in time. No, there is no way to go back to how things were in the scene, but the photographs encourage access to a memory of how things were. So maybe I haven’t mastered impermanence yet, but I have definitely furthered my understanding of the concept and truly believe it is something everyone should strive for.

SOURCE: 

Nhá̂t, Hạnh. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation : The Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and Other Basic Buddhist Teachings. New York: Broadway, 1999. Print.