Even science knows everything changes, but still we have a deep-seated habit of thinking we’re solid individuals. Biology tells us that all the cells in our bodies die and are replaced by new ones after seven years. After seven years we have a completely new body, yet we don’t live with an awareness of this changing nature of our being.

Also on a psychological level we are constantly changing. We develop from infancy through childhood into adulthood, growing, learning, deepening our experience and wisdom, and finally we die. The only parts of us that stay the same are the habitual story lines we keep telling ourselves; otherwise we are changing every moment of every day.

But still we cling to me as if it were a single and eternal thing. We suffer because our entire approach to life is in conflict with this basic truth of impermanence. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. If we can learn to see through the mistaken belief and live in contact with impermanence, our whole life can change for the better.

In his book Turning the Mind into an Ally, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche says,

We have to understand the suffering of our bewildered mind and decide that we’ve had enough of it. We’re not fleeing from the world. Rather, we’re recognizing the dreamlike quality of existence and not buying into it – or ourselves – as hard and real. Once we understand the play of impermanence and selflessness, we can take ourselves less seriously and enjoy life much more.

To be continued…

By Craig Mollins