We spend time in doubt, worrying, or intelligently said “juggling our options”. Uncertainty is deeply related to impermanence. While we all expect everything we succeeded in will stay the same, that’s when the fear or the realm of impermanence strikes in. The good thing is that we can expect everything we struggled about will change. The impermanence will always strikes in. “Anicca”, the word originates from Pali language, which means “Impermanence” describes that everything is in transience. It’s actually one of the three marks of existence in Buddhism. We never know how every situation would turn out.
Rupert Gethin once wrote in his book The Foundation of Buddhism,
“As long as there is attachment to things that are unstable, unreliable, changing and impermanent, there will be suffering – when they change, when they cease to be what we want them to be. (…) If craving is the cause of suffering, then the cessation of suffering will surely follow from 'the complete fading away and ceasing of that very craving': its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.”
We will never be satisfied with everything. If we are aware about the fact that everything is impermanent, maybe it will lift a handful of our burdens. Should we never settle for everything, then, for nothing is permanent? Or should we settle, with heart and mind guarded with the anticipation of losing?
The Japanese were known for their philosophical life and how they deal with such things as impermanence is really insightful for us. The terms "Mono no aware" is literally translated to “the pathos of things”, which, if freely translated will completely describe the fullness of meaning they have. Instead of assuming the worst of everything, negatively said, they tell us to be aware of the transience of things, and heightens our appreciation towards things, while manages to allowing gentle sadness on their passing.
On a personal note, I want to try to relate the above description according to Buddhism and how the Japanese applied in their everyday life with how Christians live, without any bad sentiment of comparing between the two.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
The main idea the two both share is “letting go”, which has been the generally accepted solution to the problem caused by uncertainty and impermanence, which reproduces a state of being worry. If we keep ahold on something so uncertain, without any good foundation on why are we doing that, we will be worn out and deteriorated from the rust of worries. The Bible tries to confront us with the irrelevant comparison between ourselves and the birds of the air (v.26) and the flowers of the field (v.28). It’s irrelevant because how could anybody compare the creation that created according to His image (ourselves), with the creations which created to be subdued by His image (the birds and flowers)?
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Letting go requires an active approach, rather than just passively wait and do nothing. As we being aware of the transience of things and heightens our appreciation of things, we keep being still and know, that there is God above who listens and answers our prayers, and heightens our faithfulness towards the work of His hand, which are undone in us.
Do not worry, O ye of little faith!
