Via The Tricycle Community \\ Three Teachings on Impermanence

 

Browse our online courses » September 25, 2025 All of the Nature to Change    The fall equinox, when daylight hours equal darkness, is just behind us, and a new season is here. The change of seasons is a wonderful reminder of impermanence—one of Buddhism’s three marks of existence, or conditions that describe reality. Craving permanence leads to suffering, Buddhism says, and there are many practices to help loosen our attachment to the idea of anything fixed or unchanging. Meditating on death is a common one, as well as following the breath, which is always in motion. Some recite the five remembrances, five verses from the Upajjhatthana Sutta, which remind us of the inevitably of aging, growing ill, dying, losing loved ones, and that actions are what carry on. What may sound bleak is actually freeing, and a pathway to the sublime states of equanimity, joy, compassion, and loving-kindness.  This week’s Three Teachings remind us that recognizing and embracing impermanence—whether in formal meditation or by welcoming the changing seasons—is a practice of liberation. Forward today's teachings to a friend » An Unbroken Sequence By The Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron The Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhist nun Ven. Thubten Chodron describe how close attention to the body and mental processes can reveal subtle impermanence not as theoretical or intellectual, but as a direct experience. Read more » The Gift of Change By Martine Batchelor Meditation teacher Martine Batchelor explains how examining impermanence can liberate us from our fixed habits. Read more » All of the Nature to Change By Barbara Gates For writer and editor Barbara Gates, a hike through the woods proves a lesson in impermanence. Read more »