IMPERMANENCE AND ONENESS: LIFE AND HARMONY
JULY 17, 2009: Einstein says that “is there not a certain satisfaction in the fact that natural limits are set to the life of the individual, so that at the conclusion it may appear as a work of art?” Spiritual practice reminds us that life is very brief. No matter how many years we have in this body we know that it is impermanent. Pema Chodran speaks to how impermanence heightens that feeling of preciousness and gratitude. A fundamental Buddhist teaching says that once you are born, you immediately start dying.
Now if that doesn’t put things in perspective I don’t know what will.
Mortality is not scary dudes. The way I look at impermanence is that it reminds us we are all ONE. There is this yoga uniting all spirits, all nature. Our visit here is vitally important and so why not aspire towards harmony and use this trip we’re on to unite and celebrate one another? Do we really need to spend any of our time fighting, destroying, rehearsing, dividing? Is it worthwhile to battle even the difficult people or situations in our life knowing what we know, that life is fleeting? I’ve spent time fighting against life by working too hard, climbing the corporate ladder too hard, accumulating stuff with almost militant gusto, then my Dad passed when he was only 59 years old. That changed me forever. There is no need to push at life.
As I have always said, nature is my best teacher. And I find great healing in the lessons that trees share with us by their existence. We live because they live and vice versa. Trees seem to me the symbol of this synergy of oneness and harmony. We live in all things, and all things live in us.
“I believe in the absolute oneness of God and therefore also of humanity. What though we have many bodies? We have but ONE soul. – Ghandi
“We live by the sun
We feel by the moon
We move by the stars
We live in all things
All things live in us
We eat from the earth
We drink from the rain
We breath of the air
We live in all things
All things live in us
We call to each other
We listen to each other
Our hearts deepen with love and compassion
We live in all things
All things live in us (By Stephanie Kaza, Earth Prayers)
During the course of the practice we get to try different poses. Some we can see as favorites and others as lessons. The spiritual practice is to embrace all of them as they symbolize difficult and easy people in our lives. So in the words of Indian philosopher Krishnamurti, “love the whole tree”. Love your whole life, be grateful for everyone, celebrate each moment for it never comes again. This is not a rehearsal, the state of harmony we allow ourselves determines the quality of our one life, right now.
Love not the shapely branch,
Nor place its image alone in your heart.
It dies away.
Love the whole tree;
Then you will love the shapely branch,
The tender and withered leaf,
They shy bud and the full blown flower,
The falling petal and the dancing night,
The splendid shadow of full love.
Ah, love life it its fullness.
It knows no decay. (