If you are filled with so much despair over something bad that has happened to you, know this……
This too shall pass.
If you’ve just broken up and your heart still pounds with such volume of hurt you sometimes can’t breathe, remember this…
This too shall pass.
If you just hit the all-time financial low and will probably have to cut your gym membership and even move to a smaller place…
This too shall pass.
This simple 4 letter phrase is probably one of the most important sentences you should be aware of. The Buddhists believe nothing is permanent in life and that everything is always changing, always evolving. Change happens as we speak of it; the sun today is different from the sun tomorrow; a bowl of stagnant water is reduced in clarity or level even when left untouched; and even your body changes with every breath you take.
The moment you understand this concept of impermanence, the easier it will be for you to see all the upheavals and downfalls in life are just a state of the current situation and that one fine day…it too shall pass.
Acknowledging impermanence and practicing it in your daily life will help you understand that the only way bad things will go away is if you understand it will not be staying for too long. When you realize that, you will automatically and unconsciously work in ways that will accelerate the ‘going away process’ of such a situation.
Let’s say that you are broke and have been surviving on cold potatoes because you somehow or rather didn’t manage to pay for gas before your money ran out. Know that this point in life will surely pass}.
This makes enduring it a lot easier. You stop lamenting about it. You stop wondering or groaning about it. You carry this hope and believe that it will soon be gone and it’s true! Once you believe that things will change, you create the manifestation of change. It’s really that simple.
Believing in impermanence is the start to the manifestation of change.
To be fair, this also works the other way around. Even in the happiest times, you have to understand that things will not last. A great day out will always come to an end. A blissful lasting marriage will eventually end with death. A great career cannot be held on forever and retirement is the only option out.
“Good times never last” is a really cynical phrase but it certain is wise too. But just by ackowledging that, you are better prepared when things do take a dip. You will also begin to appreciate the good times more, simply because you understand the basic life concept that everything will pass.
