Death & Suffering

KARMA

IMPERMANENCE, DEATH, AND SUFFERING

The purpose of contemplating impermanence, death, Suffering is not to become depressed and have the joy taken out of life. The purpose is to rid ourselves of attachment and false expectations. If we contemplate these things in such a way that we get emotionally afraid or depressed, then we are not contemplating in the right way. Rather, such subjects should make our mind calm and more lucid as the confusion caused by attachment has been ceased.

We see people and objects in an unrealistic way. Things that are changing moment by moment appear to us be constant and unchanging. That is why we are upset when they break. We may say “all these things are impermanent” our unrealistic conception is what Cause pain, because we have expectations of thing and people that cannot be fulfilled. Our loved ones cannot live forever; a relationship does not remain same, the new car will not always be shinny model just of showroom floor.

Thus, we are perpetually disappointed when we must part with those we care about, when our possessions break, when our body becomes weak or wrinkled. If we had a more realistic view of these things from the beginning and accepted their impermanence-not just from our mouth but with our heart-then such disappointment would not come.

Contemplating impermanence and death also eliminates much of the useless worries that plague us and prevent us from being happy and relaxed. Ordinary, we become upset when we criticized or insulted. We are angry we are jealous we are proud of our looks. All this attitudes are afflictive emotions which leave harmful imprints on our mental continuum that brings us problems in the future lives.

That does not mean that we become apathetic towards the people and things around us. On the contrary, by eliminating the wrong conception of permanence and the afflictive emotions which arise depending on it, our mind become clearer and more capable of enjoying things for what they are. We live more in the present, appreciating things as they are now, we worry less about small matters and less distracted when we sit for meditate. We become less ego-sensitive to every action other people do in relation to us. By reflection on impermanence and suffering, we can deal better with separation and pain when they occur.