Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ted Stevens' Crash

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About 2 ½ years ago, I went in for an eye exam.
As I was preparing to leave, I was told that the time had come
for me to start wearing bifocals.
I felt that at last old age had pounced upon my like a hungry panther.

It felt like the earth was opening up to swallow me,
such was the flavor of this particular reminder
of this body’s impermanence.

Impermanence is NOT some difficult concept that requires
a PhD. in advanced metaphysics.

With the change of every season,
we see the impermanence of the year.
With the waxing and waning of the moon,
we see the impermanence of the month.

With the rising and setting of the sun,
we see the impermanence of the day.
And with the swelling and sinking of our chest
we see the impermanence of this moment.

And yet we all tend to feel we will live forever.
Did Ted Stevens know that air plane ride, two days ago,
would be his last?




Perhaps that is why it is written:
Ever changing one and all,
there is nothing permanent to grasp.

And yet there is something deep in our heart
that resists the natural impermanence that surrounds us.
Something, deep, visceral and quite petulant.

What are some of the ways that an
empowered realization of the temporary nature of every suffering
could be the key to letting-go of each one?


The Wednesday series of webinars begins in just 3 weeks.


May you and yours be
happy and healthy!

Om Mani Padme Hum,


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ted Stevens I knew many years ago when I was a young woman. He was always very busy going somewhere doing plenty. I can't believe he is gone...but I do know, he was a strong and dedicated man. A good man, whom I will always hold in good thoughts and he will live in my good memories of him. No, he probably didn't know he was going to crash in the airplane that day. And when he realized he was going to die. He probably thought...but my work isn't over yet. Yes impermanence isn't a difficult concept to perceive. But does anything will die? Perhaps imperamanence is just the recycling of energy from a human bag of skin, mucous, blood, bones and tissue...to ashes. But the energy of the Mind of the being that once lived there, is eternal. So why worry about if the plane crashes...only the landing hurts, and that's temporary. What would be worse would be the death of the Mind's Living Library of one's journey. Now that type of impermance would be permanent.