Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful
as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.
– Mandy Hale
You might have noticed that everything changes. Things change, people change, the weather
changes and our beliefs change. The
pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus said “The only constant is change.” He said that a long time ago but now we live
in an age of accelerated change.
Sometimes for the better sometimes not – at least according to our
temporary judgements. Our view and
opinions also change as we receive more information.
We are always going through a process of growth and
evolution. When we are younger growth
takes place on the outside, within our bodies as they develop. As we get older we evolve in terms of
consciousness. If we are blessed, we
develop wisdom. If not we might get to
try again next lifetime.
The Buddha referred to this process of constant change as “impermanence.” Like Buddha, Patanjali addresses impermanence
in the Yoga Sutras. “One who is truly
wise,” he states, “realizes that all experience is fraught with suffering due
to change.” He goes on to identify the
different aspects of change.
Change occurs in the objects of our experience. For example your favorite cup might get
broken, or your favorite show get cancelled.
Your lover might have a change of heart and leave or your beloved pet
might die. When we get attached to a
certain object we become vulnerable to disappointment and grief. This is a natural part of our humanness. Wisdom teaches us that “all things must
pass.”
Another source of suffering is our expectations. We think something should be as we want it to be and it’s not. For example: we are in a hurry to get
somewhere and run into a traffic jam. Or
maybe we expect people to be more kind and considerate when they’re not. Expectations are within our minds not within
the objects we encounter. Of course, it
is always nice when things turn out the way we want them to be.
Suffering also results from our conditioning, from our past
experiences. We have all suffered some
past trauma that can insinuate its way into our present experience. This can be a big problem in
relationships. It can impair one’s
ability to trust or impair one’s judgement as to whom to trust. Past conditioning keeps us from being open to
life as it is. Life is an adventure;
it’s fraught with uncertainty. It’s
neither good nor bad, it just is.
Our mind(s) create the outward representation that we call
reality. Mind is an instrument of
consciousness. Nothing that we
experience is ultimately real. Instead
it is the ever-changing expression of energy which is inherently unstable. If the energy were stable nothing would ever
happen. Within each of us however there
is a center of inner peace and bliss.
Beyond our anxious thoughts and painful memories there is an inner place
of silent sanctuary.
When we are able to establish our mind in that inner source
of peace and joy we become impervious to the changing conditions of this
world. At the same time we can witness
and enjoy the ongoing transformations of energy that comprise our
experience. Ultimately we come to
understand that change, like death, is an illusion and that consciousness alone
is real.
