by Rev. Jim Fuller
Dear Friends,
Our friend the Buddha offered many helpful insights for developing deep spiritual wisdom; among these was the teaching of impermanence. His teachings on impermanence remind us of the temporary nature of things and conditions in the physical/phenomenal world. Things come into being. They last a while, changing as they progress through time. Eventually they begin to dissipate and shed their forms, returning to the realm of the unformed. This is true for things we think of as permanent, things like trees, mountains and buildings. It’s also true for things we accumulate and hold dear, our treasured possessions and our bodies. It’s even true for non-physical things like human personalities and scientific or religious ideas. They come into being, stay with us for a while changing as they go along, and then eventually they are no more; at least not in any way that we are used to recognizing them.
As people who search for anchors of certainty and stability in a world of change we often have great difficulty with impermanence. We are saddened when familiar neighborhoods, vacation spots, restaurants and parks change or go away. We don’t like it when community groups, social gatherings or spiritual/religious organizations change or cease to be. We may resist even thinking about the aging and eventual dying of grandparent, parent, friend or pet. Yet if neighborhoods had never changed we might still be living in caves or tiny thatched huts. If former groups and gatherings hadn’t ended we might never have been inspired to create newer or better ones. And if we didn’t age and eventually end we might all be stuck living as perpetual middle schoolers attending ever increasingly crowded classrooms, living forever in relative ignorance and becoming more deeply entrenched in the perception that we and our tiring but never aging parents, teachers and friends were the pinnacle of creation.
Impermanence forces us to look at ourselves, our personalities and our world from a broader perspective. It forces us to examine our surroundings, our activities and our ways of thinking. For many people this happens only toward the latter part of life, and even then with some significant degree of resistance. But for the wise, for those who begin to notice and embrace impermanence throughout their life, it can lead to understanding, wisdom and deep eventually peace. Embracing impermanence can help us transcend (end the trance) of our present limited perceptions and beliefs about people and things. It can encourage us to look beyond changing appearances and discover That which is unchanging. I capitalize the word That because in my way of thinking That which lies beyond the level of impermanence and change is a part of what we would typically call God.
We are presently going through a time in our church community where impermanence and change are highly visible. I have acknowledged an inner urging to take an extended break from full time ministry and deepen my relationship with the That, the underlying unchanging. That of course means change not just for me but also for my many friends at Unity Church. Yet if I did not respond to the call for change in my life I would soon lose my ability to be an effective minister. I would become like the perpetual middle schooler revisiting the same lessons over and over. And you as members of our congregation might also become stuck believing that what I had shared with you was all there was to know of Spirit and Truth. Impermanence and change, whether arising from inward inspiration or from external changes around us are a blessing that keep us from staying stuck. Perhaps that is part of some greater intention to love and support us, we the timeless spiritual beings who have decided to visit the realm of limited physical existence and time?
Impermanence is only unsettling to the parts of us that want to cling to the belief that this world and these bodies are of greater importance than the underlying spiritual. Those who learn to hear the messages of Impermanence will find clear and helpful reminders to help them notice what lies beyond the habits, rituals, routines and appearances of the world. They may notice that, despite changing appearances, nothing real is ever lost; that things like love, relationship and deep connection do not end. They may even come to realize that impermanence and change are actually helping them broaden their connections and incorporate more people, ideas and other aspects of the great That.
My prayer for us all is that we each learn to embrace and appreciate the impermanence of life in this world, that we consciously choose make peace with our human feelings of fear and resistance, and that we remember not believe them or let them trap us in perpetually limited ways of thinking and living. For it is only as we learn to welcome new people, new forms, new experiences and new ideas into our hearts and minds that we can truly begin to grow into the awareness of the timeless, limitless divine beings that we have been created to be and which we actually are today. So may we find ways to welcome our experiences of impermanence and change as friendly reminders that we are more, much more, than we have been telling ourselves we are.
With great love and appreciation for the change and growth that has taken place in my life during our twelve years together I wish for you continued growth and freedom from all fear and from mental bondage. May you continue to discover the truth of your timeless divine nature and may that discovery make you truly free.
Rev. Jim Fuller
“You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
(Marianne Williamson, from A Return To Love)