Consider this wooden object.
This is a chair. You say.
But is it? I ask. What makes it so?
This! And you sit upon it.
Ah, I see. But please arise.
I place my tea cup and notebook upon it.
Now, still a chair? Or has it transformed into a table?
I remove them.
Would you please retrieve that book from a high shelf?
You then stand upon the sturdy item.
It has become a stepladder.
What magic is this?
Thus is all.
Practice can be difficult.
Often my body is filled with pain
Or clouded by fever.
I realize again
That compassion and patience
Must be extended to myself.
I consider impermanence and the connection of all,
Grateful for the many kindnesses of others.
These current conditions will change.
One breath at a time.
Thank you for teaching me patience amidst urgency.
Yes, my time here in this body is precious and brief,
And I wish to do as much good as possible for both myself and others.
But I can relax into this path
By realizing that my limitations are many and varied.
I am a traveler like everyone,
And my supplies and journey are affected by myriad different things.
The way can seem daunting, with unexpected detours and deterrents.
My progress speeds and slows and sometimes halts for awhile,
For I am not commencing alone in a void.
I continue step by step with a steady mind and open heart,
With the knowledge that eventually I will reach my destination.
While I travel, I experience pleasures and griefs on the way,
With appreciation that they are temporary and ever-changing.
Remember always that scenery is only scenery
And continue to walk.
We all abide in temporary dwellings; none of our houses do we own.
Whatever contract we established; whatever money we paid;
Our residence remains ephemeral and always subject to sudden change.
No matter what we devote to maintenance and decoration,
We leave in the end for another transient domicile.
Another moves in to change all our endeavors.
Consider carefully where we place our time and effort.
Wherever we go, we take only ourselves. Where then should be our attention?
I swing my mala and throw it.
It tears a hole in the fabric of this existence.
The beads disappear one by one.
I follow them,
While reflecting on impermanence.
I recite gate gate paragate
As I evanesce.
Layer upon layer upon layer
Faceted as petals
Endless as waves
Infinite in time and space
Breathe in, breathe out
Rest in impermanence
(Inspired By A Piece OF Nancy Garretson’s)
My grey-cloaked companion has returned,
Their absence but a brief hiatus.
They have brought the usual accoutrements:
Worsening fatigue and malaise; a restless mind; heightened bodily aches;
And, of course, emotional pain.
I dared not think they would not be back
At some point in time.
But I had hoped to enjoy life a bit longer.
Change is the nature of things, though,
So I will endeavor to face this with equanimity
And continue on my path.