The lesson of Buddhism - this too will pass

This article is about one of the key concepts of Buddhism, Impermanence.

How you can practice awareness of impermanence is the subject of this Buddhism essay.

Vipassana meditation as taught by Mr. S N Goenka stresses on the experience of impermanence within our own bodies to attain Nirvana – the state beyond suffering. This technique of meditation is in the Hinayana tradition of Buddhism. According to Sayagyi U Ba Khin, Mr. Goenka's Guru The awareness of Aniccais the actual meditational experience of impermanence within our own bodies. . This is a purification process, which leads the meditator to experience the nirvanic peace within himself.

The importance of anicca and how it can be integrated within our lives is illustrated by the following story. It is a very meaningful story and illustrates a key concept of Buddhism:-

The essentials of Buddhism illustrated

Seeing the diamond ring the elder brother developed greed and desired the ring for himself. He explained to the younger brother – This packet is obviously a family heirloom and not part of the joint family property. Our father evidently desired the diamond ring to be passed on from generation to generation and stay within the family. Being the elder brother I will take the diamond ring. You had better take the silver one.

The younger brother smiled and agreed.

The younger brother was curious as to why the father had preserved the silver ring, which had very little value. He took out the ring and examined it. One the ring was written the words – "This too will pass". The younger brother said – "Oh this was the motto of my father – This too will pass. He replaced the ring on his finger.

This is the concept of Impermanence, a key concept of Buddhism.

Time passed. Both brothers went through the ups and downs of life. The elder brother used to get highly delighted when spring came and he was prosperous. He lost his balance and developed greed and attachment. When the good phase went away and winter approached he became highly anxious. He needed to medication and sleeping pills to be able to sleep. When that did not help he completely lost his balance. He needed visits to the psychiatrist and electric shock treatments. This was the brother with the diamond ring.

So this is what may happen to a person who does not practice the essentials of Buddhism. Maintain awareness of impermanence as is described below.

The younger brother when spring came, enjoyed it but remembered his father's motto – This too will change. He did not get attached to his circumstances but enjoyed them while they lasted. When spring passed he said to himself – It was inevitably going to pass and now it has done so. So what? Similarly when winter approached and circumstances became bad he did not become agitated but remembered - This too will pass. Thus he was able to preserve his sense of balance through all the ups and downs of life and lived his life happily.

Thus we have an understanding of how we can apply the philosophy of Buddhism in our lives.

This is only one of many Buddhism stories. Pick up a copy of Jataka tales if you wish to read more.

The Buddha himself said once: -

When faced with all the ups and downs of life,Still the mind remains unshaken,Not lamenting, not generating defilements, always feeling secure,This is the greatest happiness.

This ends this Buddhism essay. I hope you will make use of it in your life. It takes some effort bu it is completely worth it. It will transform your life (inwardly) completely.

To learn about their differences and similarities please visit this page on Hinduism and Buddhism

For a powerful method of meditation which will lead to your experiencing life fully visit this page on Buddhist meditation

For a complete list of articles visit this page on Buddhism

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