The Illusion of Permanence

The Illusion of Permanence

Twice in the past week I have been reminded of the absolute impermanence that underlies every aspect of our lives and every single existent entity on Earth.

Not far from where we live, we have the astonishingly beautiful Phoenix Botanical Garden. Besides being a wonderful place to spend time looking at the plants (all of which, incidentally, are always in the process of growing or dying), they also have interesting exhibitions throughout the year.  Early last week, my wife, René, and I went to see an exhibition of Ofrendas, artistic representations of various stories or concepts related to the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).  This is a day when Mexican and Mexican-American people venerate their dead ancestors. The figures in the Ofrendas are mainly highly decorated skeletons, examples of which become available in gift-shops across the country at this time of year.  One exhibit that particularly moved me was a shadow box with four niches, above which was the title of the piece, “Amor” (Love). In the first box are two skeletons holding hands; in the second the same two at their wedding; in the third the couple with a new baby (also a skeleton); and in the last, the woman in widow’s weeds. I found this to be a most eloquent expression of the impermanence of our lives, and a reminder to cherish each moment as it passes on our inevitable path to the grave. It struck me that wherever we are, death (the skeleton) lies within our external bodies, always with us. Each of us is changing, even at the cellular level, from moment to moment to moment. Thought about in this way, the idea of grasping what we have becomes absurd, because the very idea of permanently holding on to something or someone is an illusion. Each of should strive to pass each moment of our lives in awareness, because, in fact, that’s all we ever really have. There is also great comfort in the realization that just as we cannot hang on to the good things in our lives, neither can the struggles and challenges in our lives remain unchanged.

The second reminder of the reality of impermanence came while I was meditating during the week and then was reiterated by Shane Wilson, my mediation teacher, yesterday during our class. I recently returned to mindfulness meditation training because I realized I was not spending the time I used to on the cushion, and I was not as content or at peace as a result. In mindfulness meditation, the most widely used object of concentration is the breath, to which we return gently each time our mind wanders off (as it inevitably will). It is always present and available to us, wherever we are, making it the perfect object on which to focus. It occurred to me as I was watching my breath, that the breath itself is the very best teacher of the truth of impermanence. Every inhalation and every exhalation has a beginning and an end, and each exists for a few seconds at most, leading to the next breath, which comes and then goes. No matter who we are, our last act on this earth will be our final exhalation. Even the very exchange of oxygen that gives us life is fleeting and impermanent, reminding us again of the significance of each moment.

Ultimately, the belief that we can actually hold on to anything is perhaps our greatest illusion. Only when we embrace the notion of universal impermanence can the beauty, wonder and specialness of everything around us truly be understood.

Let Go...and Heal

It's been a long time since I've penned a blog entry. There are many reasons for that, some of which are directly related to this particular blog. So here goes.

I like to see myself as kind, compassionate and at peace with myself and others. Of late, the first two continue to be true, but number three…not so much. People whom I love and respect, family members and friends, have pointed out to me recently that basically I've become argumentative and quick to anger, and not always pleasant to be around. This is very different for me. Usually I can move through life's little challenges with aplomb and good humor. Lately, I've been yelling at the TV, at other drivers (only to myself), and at the newspaper and letters to the editor. I've been argumentative when family members have disagreed with me, even over the most trivial things, and how foolish is that? I certainly have been dealing with stuff in my own life...I've finally recovered from an E. Coli UTI that took two months and many, many strong antibiotics to cure. Also, and this is the first time I have made this public online, I am in the middle of radiation treatment for prostate cancer. (This is going quite well and the prognosis is extremely positive because the amount of cancer is very small and we caught it early.) I mention this only because I've been using these last two things as an excuse for my verbally aggressive behavior. The truth is, as has been pointed out to me, this has been going on for the last year. Once confronted with this, I needed to get at the source immediately because this is definitely not the Chuck Rinaldi I wish to present to the world, and certainly not to my wife, who is my rock, or to everyone I else I care about.

 I began to go back to mindfulness meditation, something I had been neglecting because I thought I was in a poor place to just sit with my thoughts. I couldn't have been more wrong. Meditation was exactly what I needed.

As I sat, and let my thoughts come as they might, I tried to look at what was really going on with me. I had a simple but profound bit of insight. I had forgotten two things I have been telling other people for years: 1) The problem is not our preferences (biases) but rather our attachment to them; 2) The key is to just LET GO. As I continued to sit, I realized that the preferences and biases I had become terribly connected to all had to do with politics - local, national, and world. As I surfed Facebook, I would feel myself getting angrier and angrier when presented with opinions and beliefs that were in direct conflict with what I believe. I would share many provocative posts essentially attacking opinions with which I disagreed. A friend I cared about actually unfriended me because she had gotten tired of my constant ranting posts.  I now understand why she needed to do that and I'm sorry I made her feel that way. With meditation, I have come to realize that my political biases are simply my preferences for how I would like the world to be. The fact that the preferences of others may be in direct contrast to mine is simply not important enough to allow my personal balance to be impacted. They certainly have a right to believe what they do and to express it in the hopes that others may agree with them.

The decision I have made, and which has already resulted in my feeling much more calm and at peace, is simply to let go of my attachment to my preferences and in so doing, the anger that accompanied it. Perhaps the most important discovery (or if I am being truthful, re-discovery) is that doing so has been so very easy and so freeing. It is a personal decision, entirely within my control: Just. Let. Go.  In order to do so, I am no longer reading any of the FB posts that stirred my negative reactions and I am doing the same with the many political emails I receive.  I am not deleting them; I am simply going by them. That is the mindful choice I am making each time that will help me to remain aware in the moment and to make the compassionate decision each and every time.

 I have not given up my preferences for how I wish people would treat others...I know I cannot reasonably accomplish that...but I am giving up my need for others to agree with me. I will continue to work for the changes I wish to see, but I will do so through teaching, at the ballot box, and by writing letters to the editor, not by haranguing people to see things my way.

Breaking my attachment to my preferences is having the effect of breaking the chain of the anchor (anger) that has been holding me down and keeping me from being who I have been in the past and who I wish to be again.  Letting go is allowing me to heal myself. I am beginning to understand what is meant by the "incredible lightness of being".