Beauty

Beauty and Impermanence :: Life Wisdom

Beauty, defined
Beauty – (1) the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit: LOVELINESS; (2) a beautiful person or thing; especially: a beautiful woman; (3) a particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality.

Impermanence of Physical Beauty
“Beauty is ever to the lonely mind a shadow fleeting; she is never plain. She is a visitor who leaves behind the gift of grief, the souvenir of pain.” – Christopher Morley

Impermanence is the truth of life. Embracing it in our most basic daily activities can be the key to everyday ease.

As the Buddha said, impermanence is the nature of the human condition. This is a truth we know in our minds but tend to resist in our hearts. Change happens all around us, all the time, yet we long for the predictable, the consistent. We want the reassurance that comes from things remaining the same. We find ourselves shocked when people die, even though death is the most predictable part of life.

There is wisdom in the awareness of impermanence – not just because our lives do obviously and unavoidably change but, more important, because when we accept this fact as truth, we suffer so much less.

Yoga philosophy as a whole is predicated on the notion that identification with the temporary, changing aspect of reality leads to suffering, while recognition of the eternal, changeless Self leads to peace. In day-to-day life, these concepts seem interesting at best and esoteric at worst. But remembering the eternal in daily conversations, tasks, and actions is really the key to transforming our lives. Unless we are able to return to the "big picture" of our lives, we will be caught up in the minutiae of being late for an appointment or losing a favorite earring. What gives life its juice is the ability to mourn the lost earring fully and simultaneously know it doesn't ultimately matter. In other words, we can live to the fullest when we recognize that our suffering is based not on the fact of impermanence but rather on our reaction to that impermanence. When we forget the truth of impermanence, we forget the truth of life. Spiritual practice is about remembering that truth and then embracing it.

Excerpts from “After the Laundry, the Laundry” by Judith Hanson Lasater