Meditation on Impermanence

Meditation on Impermanence

By repeatedly reflecting on this analytical meditation, you can experience increased energy, motivation and sense of freedom. Tibetan masters teach that without reflecting on these thoughts each morning, our day is wasted with meaningless actions.

Sit yourself down in a position and focus your mind on your breathing for a few minutes to settle your mind in the present, the here and the now.

Let go of any other the thoughts and generate a positive motivation for doing the meditation.

Now bring your awareness to your body, this body sitting on a meditation cushion, in a meditation position.

Just be aware of your body.

And mentally think about what your body is made of - the different parts like skin, blood, bones, organs.

Then think about how each of these parts of the body is in turn made up of yet smaller parts, for example cells.

We can’t see cells with our eyes but we know how they work, that they are moving, changing, reproducing, dying.

So on that cellular level there is constant change and movement.

Even though we are sitting still, not moving, every minute, every second, every millisecond, there is constant change, constant movement - movement taking place through every part of our body, down to the tiniest most subtle level.

Now take that awareness outside of yourself and see if you can realise that the same is true for the things around you.

The physical things in the room - the cushion we are sitting on, the floor, the walls, ceiling, windows, all the things in the room.

All these things around us are also made up of tiny particles.

They are changing every second, every millisecond, not staying the same, from one tiny second to the next.

Then take that same awareness further outside of this room and think about other things.

There are people whose bodies are also at a very subtle level constantly moving, changing, not staying the same, from one millisecond to the next.

The earth and trees, mountains, buildings, houses, cars and roads.

And the heavenly bodies in the sky – the sun, moon, stars, the clouds.

They are not static and frozen but constantly moving and changing, every second, every millisecond.

And then think about how as these things are changing, they are also gradually, slowly, disintegrating, becoming older, worn out and eventually at some point in time things will go out of existence.

They are not going to be there forever. Everything has its end.

Now spend a few minutes thinking about the impermanent nature of some objects that you are attached to.

Bring to mind some different objects – they could be people, or other things like possessions that you have, or food or your car or your house, things for which you have attachment.

And then imagine how these objects will appear ten years from now.

And now imagine how these objects will appear fifty years from now.

Now imagine how these objects will appear a hundred years from now.

Now to conclude the meditation, whatever you have come to understand or experience during the meditation, make your own conclusion as to what you would like to do with this experience.

What are some positive ways that you can use this experience and this understanding?

And finally mentally dedicate the merit or positive energy of doing this meditation to help both ourselves and others to be more realistic, to develop more wisdom seeing things as they are.

And in that way become less under the influence of deluded and disturbing thoughts, misconceptions and emotions.

And in that way free ourselves from suffering and its causes and develop our potential to be peaceful and happy and eventually enlightened.

And when you are ready to end the meditation, you can relax your concentration, relax your body and open your eyes.

This meditation has been made available with gratitude from the Foundation for the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) "How to Meditate" module of their Discovering Buddhism Home Study Program. click here

You can let Dekyi-Lee lead you through this meditation by ordering the Practical Meditation 1 CD.click here