Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk about impermanence,
And it's my opinion that this concept is one of the most important things you can learn,
One of the most important things that you have to come to terms with,
And once you do,
Your life is more full.
The concept of impermanence is central to many philosophical and spiritual traditions,
Including Buddhism and Hinduism,
And it teaches us that everything is transient and constantly changing,
And this understanding can be both humbling and liberating.
Impermanence reminds us to appreciate the present moment,
Knowing that it won't last forever.
It encourages us to let go of attachments and embrace change as a natural part of life,
And by accepting impermanence we can reduce our suffering and find peace in the midst of life's ups and downs.
In my studies,
I finally realized that forever is now,
And that only this moment is important,
And the sooner you fully come to understand that,
The more fully you live your life.
Time is valuable,
And once you spend it,
It's gone,
And no one knows how much time they have left.
In a sense,
I was lucky,
Because I came to terms with impermanence after my third stroke,
When I was 30 years old.
I truly realized that my life as it was,
Was over,
And that no matter how hard I worked,
It was never coming back.
But by accepting that,
Accepting that everything was always going to be changing,
It made me my life so much better,
In spite of the strokes,
And it made my life richer.
And in the same way,
Everything in our life is temporary.
Everything is growing and aging and gradually declining,
Until eventually it ends,
Or breaks,
Or dies,
Or falls apart.
Impermanence is a universal truth that applies to all aspects of existence,
From the tiniest microorganism to the biggest galaxy.
Everything is constantly changing,
Aging,
And dying.
When we cling to the idea that things will always be the way they are,
We can experience disappointment and pain when they change,
And they will change.
Accepting the impermanent nature of life can lead you to a sense of peace and tranquility.
Close your eyes now,
And let's get in touch with our breath,
And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
So as we start to settle into this moment,
This precious moment,
Let's scan our body.
Relax your face,
Unfurl your brow,
And unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck,
Relax your shoulders,
I raise mine and just let them drop.
Relax your arms and your hands,
Look for any tension in your chest and belly.
Relax your legs and your feet,
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
Our breath is there for us in all moments,
From beginning to end.
Each breath,
One breath at a time.
Now,
As we sit there breathing and relaxing,
Notice your breath.
We constantly breathe,
But take time to notice it.
Notice where you feel it,
A cool sensation in your nose as the breath flows in,
Or the movement of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and flows out.
So just begin by noticing your breath,
Not controlling it,
Not shaping it,
Just watching it arrive and leave,
Like waves on a shore,
Like wind through leaves.
Feel your body resting in this moment,
Held by gravity,
Held by now.
Let yourself settle,
Let yourself soften,
Just let yourself be.
Now,
Gently bring your attention to the truth of change.
Everything you feel will shift.
Every breath is new.
Every sound passes.
Notice how even this moment is already becoming a memory.
And yet,
It was beautiful.
It was enough.
Let this truth be tender,
Not harsh.
Impermanence is not a thief,
It's a painter,
Brushing each moment with color,
And then moving on.
Now,
Here I'm going to pause for a minute so that you can just think about the impermanence of life and breathe,
And I'll be back in a minute.
Impermanence isn't a thief,
It's a painter.
A painter doesn't erase the canvas,
They keep layering it.
Every brush stroke changes the whole picture,
But nothing that came before is actually gone.
It's transformed,
Integrated,
Deepened.
In grief,
This means that the love you had doesn't vanish,
It becomes memory,
Tenderness,
An ache,
And wisdom.
The relationship doesn't end,
It changes form.
The person you were with them doesn't die,
It evolves into someone who carries them differently.
Impermanence paints over your life,
But the earlier colors still shine through the new ones.
And by thinking of it this way,
It can help us understand grief.
Thinking of impermanence as a painter allows grief to be creative,
Something that shapes you rather than empties you.
The past isn't lost,
It's blended into who you are now.
And it's dynamic,
Your relationship with loss keeps evolving.
Like a painting,
It's never finished,
Only in stages.
And this view softens the harshness of gone forever and replaces it with changing form.
What does this metaphor reveal about love?
Love is what gives the painter its palette.
Impermanence doesn't paint with emptiness,
It paints with the moments you shared.
The qualities you admired,
The ways they shaped you,
The stories you carry,
The habits you still have because of them.
So the painting of your life becomes more textured because they were here.
Now just continue to focus on your breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time,
And then the next,
And then the next.
And that is the present moment.
Just one breath,
One moment,
And it passes into the next.
Notice your breath again.
Inhale and pause.
Exhale and pause.
Each breath is born,
And each breath dies.
Each breath teaches us how to let go.
Can you feel the inhale without grasping?
Can you feel the exhale without resisting?
Let your breath be your guide.
Let breath be your friend.
Now if you will,
Bring to mind something you've been holding.
Maybe a thought,
A worry,
A hope,
A memory,
Maybe an object.
Hold it gently.
Feel its texture.
And now imagine it dissolving,
Like mist in the morning light,
Like a leaf floating downstream.
You do not need to push it away.
You do not need to cling.
Just let it move.
Let it change.
Let it go.
Return to your breath.
Return to your body.
Return to now.
You are not a fixed thing.
You are a river.
You are a sky.
You are the space where change unfolds.
Let this truth bring peace.
Let it bring humility.
Let it bring awe.
And as we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.
How good it is to be in this moment.
One breath at a time.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each and every one of you.
I hope you carry this wisdom with you.
Carry this breath.
And remember,
Impermanence is not a thief.
It's a painter.
Till next time.
