To quote Engyo who posted earlier in this thread and to reiterate the sentiment..............
Impermanence is everywhere!
Peace,
Mystic
Impermanence is everywhere!
Peace,
Mystic
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Your daily impermanence
- Thread starter MysticSang'ha
- Start date
Smoke
Done here.
I think about mortality all the time. My granny looks visibly older every time I see her. My parents are still in good health and living active lives, but my partner's parents, who are the same age (all 4 of them were born between 1935 and 1937) are starting to look and act like old people, but my parents' friends are dropping like flies. Of the eight couples that formed a set of close friends, my dad and another guy are the only two men left. All my uncles are dead -- though I still have a granduncle. Two of my friends have cancer.
And at least once a week I'll say, "God, I'm tired!" and John says, "Honey, you have to slow down. You're not 25 anymore." Which just gives me a greater sense of urgency -- so much to do, and the clock ticking down.
I want my next tattoo to be a skull with the motto Memento mori; I've got the skull picked out. But I'm not sure I need it; I think I want it because I'm thinking about it already.
We talk about emigrating, and when we do any remodeling around the house, we try to make sure it will be something that will please potential buyers -- we just got this house 10 months ago -- and not just something to suit us.
Maybe my age has something to do with it; I'm 46, and 50 is the age when my great-grandmother went around attaching little notes to her possessions so people would know the significance of them when she died. ("Great-Grandma Koehn to John Baalke to Anna Kleist"; "Came over from Germany with Grandma Baalke"; "From Evangelical Church of Berlin, 1853"; that kind of thing.) Which is, I guess, an attempt to fight against impermanence.
And at least once a week I'll say, "God, I'm tired!" and John says, "Honey, you have to slow down. You're not 25 anymore." Which just gives me a greater sense of urgency -- so much to do, and the clock ticking down.
I want my next tattoo to be a skull with the motto Memento mori; I've got the skull picked out. But I'm not sure I need it; I think I want it because I'm thinking about it already.
We talk about emigrating, and when we do any remodeling around the house, we try to make sure it will be something that will please potential buyers -- we just got this house 10 months ago -- and not just something to suit us.
Maybe my age has something to do with it; I'm 46, and 50 is the age when my great-grandmother went around attaching little notes to her possessions so people would know the significance of them when she died. ("Great-Grandma Koehn to John Baalke to Anna Kleist"; "Came over from Germany with Grandma Baalke"; "From Evangelical Church of Berlin, 1853"; that kind of thing.) Which is, I guess, an attempt to fight against impermanence.
Awww, look at the cute little baby thread when I was a newer member.........*pinches cheek*
My impermanence so far has been my peanut butter and jelly on toast. I had it on my plate, and now it's in my belly.
My impermanence so far has been my peanut butter and jelly on toast. I had it on my plate, and now it's in my belly.
I've wondered that myself, Ozzie. For it seems implied that enlightenment, upon it's achievement, is a permanent state, despite the fact that impermanence is a basic tenet in Buddhism.
Hoo-doggies, I love it when concepts are obvious, and then they aren't, and then they are, and then they.......*trails off and decides to go jump on the trampoline* :trampo:
Hoo-doggies, I love it when concepts are obvious, and then they aren't, and then they are, and then they.......*trails off and decides to go jump on the trampoline* :trampo:
Ozzie
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the club.
Ozzie
Well-Known Member
I personally doubt that any concept, conforms to a hypothetical permanent state. Unfortunately, enlightenment has received a lot of negative publicity lately as an "endgame".
I think truly that life is to be lived, and you an excellent example of that, my "horny as a bouncing bullfrog on fullheat in March"
Buddhist sister.
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Ozzie
Well-Known Member
Something that I like about impermanence is its impermanence. To some extent impermanence is an illusion. Avoiding something in the present, or running after something are both likely to promote an illusion of impermanence. Even thinking about impermanence creates that illusion.
It is such a fleeting quality, so hard to grasp and impossible to master. To chase it as futile as waiting for it to happen.
In my dealings with important others in my life I see many things that occur unexpectedly causing great surprise, learning occurs, attitudes change, certitude in one sort of permanence is replaced by equally strong certitude in another permanence. Most people are a long way from even a glimmer of "daily impermanence".
It is such a fleeting quality, so hard to grasp and impossible to master. To chase it as futile as waiting for it to happen.
In my dealings with important others in my life I see many things that occur unexpectedly causing great surprise, learning occurs, attitudes change, certitude in one sort of permanence is replaced by equally strong certitude in another permanence. Most people are a long way from even a glimmer of "daily impermanence".
Well said, Ozzie.
Because there is only NOW.....and now there's NOW........and that moment has just passed and now there's only NOW.
And so on and so on and so on.
Because there is only NOW.....and now there's NOW........and that moment has just passed and now there's only NOW.
And so on and so on and so on.
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
You should make this thread "sticky."
It's the eternal moment.
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
If permanence is an illusion, then necessarily so too is impermanence, isn't it?
doppelgänger;1365004 said:
And for me, such is the wisdom of emptiness.
horizon_mj1
Well-Known Member
My view on what permanence is the impression all things leave on time. Time is expained as a paleo strip (one sided) in which mankind has not yet mastered the travel. If a building is tore down, that is permanent. Even if another building is built in its place, the old one is no longer in existence. I guess what I am trying to say is that actions explain permanence, everything else has an impermanence quality.
Ozzie
Well-Known Member
Your analogy is not bad. I guess I would argue that time is double-sided from this moment so that what explains permanence is action as you suggest, but I would call "action" reaction initiated in the head of an observer in order to explain the perceived causal chain. Take out the observer, and you have left the causal chain, and impermanence.
Ben Dhyan
Veteran Member
Becoming aware of the impermanence of this mortal life implies a prerequisite awareness of the concept of permanence, for 'impermanence' is defined by 'permanence' and 'permanence' is defined by 'impermanence', i.e., these concepts are complementary opposites,...two sides to the one coin.
Therefore it would seem to me that the reality behind the concept 'impermanence' is identical with the reality behing the concept 'permanence', for in fact there is not two, but only the one ultimate reality.
The never ending 'play' of conceptual dualistic ying/yang complementary opposites on the mortal mind, creates the 'maya' which obscures the inconceivable Way underlying existence.
Perhaps it is only when the mind is still and conceptual thinking has ceased, is the non-dual state of enlightenment realized.
When you understand, reality depends on you.
When you don't understand, you depend on reality.
When reality depends on you, that which isn't real becomes real.
When you depend on reality, that which is real becomes false.
When you depend on reality, everything is false.
When reality depends on you, everything is true.
Thus, the wise don't use mind to look for reality, or reality to look for mind,
Or mind to look for mind, or reality to look for reality.
Then mind doesn't give rise to reality, and reality doesn't give rise to mind.
And because both his mind and reality are tranquil, he's always at peace.
-The Teaching of Bodhidharma-
Romantic love is impermanent. But it seems to be so pleasurable in some ways that many people refuse to observe its impermanence.
zenzero
Its only a Label
Friend MS,
frubal for the thread.
Have this to state:
Life has both the elements of permanence and impermanence.
When one is conscious of both the reality then ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS/NOTHINGNESS remains.
Once again the swing of the pendulum. Only when the pendulum crosses the center that it is neither side and both the ends are equi-distant. The position of balance and not stressed [frustrated as mentioned by your experience]
Now lets revisit your house searching.
It is a reality. It has to be done.
Nothing is perfect at the same time even a deformation is perfect.
So, the best alternative houses available has to be settled for, and see that you have achieved 90% NOW and then leave the balance 10% for another go later if required.
We mostly reject even that 80/90% for a small 10-20% and later become more frustrated.
We should see the GESTALT i.e. both the sides. The black is black because of the white in the background and similarly the white is white because of the black in the background.
Both are true and to be accepted.
Love & rgds
frubal for the thread.
Have this to state:
Life has both the elements of permanence and impermanence.
When one is conscious of both the reality then ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS/NOTHINGNESS remains.
Once again the swing of the pendulum. Only when the pendulum crosses the center that it is neither side and both the ends are equi-distant. The position of balance and not stressed [frustrated as mentioned by your experience]
Now lets revisit your house searching.
It is a reality. It has to be done.
Nothing is perfect at the same time even a deformation is perfect.
So, the best alternative houses available has to be settled for, and see that you have achieved 90% NOW and then leave the balance 10% for another go later if required.
We mostly reject even that 80/90% for a small 10-20% and later become more frustrated.
We should see the GESTALT i.e. both the sides. The black is black because of the white in the background and similarly the white is white because of the black in the background.
Both are true and to be accepted.
Love & rgds