One of the core tenants of Buddhism is the truth of impermanence. All things that arise also cease. Viewed from a common or worldly perspective, impermanence is unfortunate because, when we grow accustomed to a particular set of circumstances, they will ultimately change, causing us to suffer.

However, the Buddha explained that if we embrace impermanence instead of rejecting it, we can find a deeper happiness in our understanding of it. He said, “for one who remains focused on the inconstancy of all fabrications, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises.”*

If we accept that things are constantly changing, we have no choice but to live our lives in the present moment. When this habit becomes deeply established we can build a much richer relationship with the here and now which is far more satisfying than nostalgia for the past or craving for the future.

*Itivuttaka: The Group of Threes” (Iti 85), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013.

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