Embracing Change: A Talk & Meditation On Impermanence

Explore the profound wisdom of impermanence in 'Embracing Change: A Talk & Meditation on Impermanence.' This track offers an insightful Dharma talk that delves into the Buddhist concept of 'anicca,' illustrating how life's constant flux is a source of freedom and peace. Accompanied by a guided meditation, you will learn to embrace and navigate through life's changes with a sense of calm and resilience. Discover the art of living in the moment and find tranquility in the understanding that nothing is permanent. This experience promises to enrich your perspective on change and help cultivate a deeper sense of acceptance and mindfulness.

Transcript

Embracing impermanence,

A meditation on change.

When we embrace the fact that everything is impermanent,

That's just another word for everything changes,

Nothing stays the same.

And even if we think about our thoughts or we think about our feelings,

We know they come and go,

Almost sometimes every minute or every second.

And if we think about everything around us,

Sometimes we feel like nothing changes and we get bored,

But then we look back over the last few months or years and we go,

Everything's changed,

People have changed,

People have moved on,

The place you're living has changed,

Even the house you're living in,

Sometimes we think it's just the same,

But when you look around and the dirt builds up and the wallpaper seems a little more messy as the years go on,

And everything ages just a little bit more.

And even our bodies,

When we don't realize the change on a daily basis,

Then we suddenly see a photograph from a few years ago and go,

Oh wow.

And I think when we embrace this impermanence and we realize that we cannot stop it,

It becomes similar to paddling down a river.

You're in a boat in the middle of the river and you're just allowing the river to take the boat.

Or we can keep grabbing hold of the sides and keep grabbing hold and wanting to stop,

Grabbing hold of the current moment.

And the irony is we want to change the current moment and we cannot,

Yet on the other hand we don't want anything to change.

Because when nothing changes we feel safe and secure,

We know what's happening here and now,

We don't always like it.

But this is the thing with the Buddhist way of looking at impermanence.

And you don't have to be a Buddha,

You don't have to study any religion to understand the concept of Anika.

It's a universal application.

That's the word they use in the ancient Pali language.

Anika means impermanence.

Everything is changing.

And when we resist this change,

We become tired and we become more exhausted with just trying to cling on.

But clinging on gives us a sense of comfort,

A sense of security.

But that's where our foundations come in,

That's where the roots of how the tree stays in the same place.

The weather forever changes,

The seasons change,

The tree grows.

If you ever look at a tree this time of year in the autumn,

Just after the leaves have fallen,

You can see the way the branches twist and turn.

Because they're just looking for that glimmer of light.

That's their role,

That's their job.

Find the gap in the leaves for their leaves to,

And get the goodness from the air and the light.

I'm not an expert on trees and how they work,

But I can work out that bit.

But a tree embraces the seasons.

It doesn't mind change because it's ready.

And we tend to suffer when we're not ready.

And just think about all the times in your life when you've resisted change.

You've resisted the inevitable of knowing that perhaps a relationship's not going well,

Perhaps a job doesn't feel comfortable anymore,

Or just you know your health is not tip-top,

And you know you've got to go and see the doctor.

Just prolonging it and trying to resist that change just makes you suffer more.

I'm not an expert on being okay with change,

But I do know in my head that we cannot fight it.

And when we fight,

We want to run,

We want to avoid change at all costs.

And when we just embrace change,

Just like nature embraces the cycles,

It's then a source of peace and growth.

So here's a little meditation that will help you to become more comfortable with change and the present moment.

So if you're not already,

Just become more comfortable,

Let your body settle in,

Perhaps wiggle your bum a little,

Stretch out your arms and just place them down in a comfortable position.

Bring your awareness to your breath.

You don't have to do anything with your breath,

Your body knows how to breathe.

The minute you get involved,

That's where everything goes wrong.

Just the same as the relaxation process.

Your body knows how to relax,

It's just waiting for you to say,

There you go,

You can relax now.

If you just acknowledge your arms and knowledge your face and your eyes and your cheek,

And just say to them,

You can relax.

And notice how quickly and how they already know how to relax.

It was almost,

Like I said,

Waiting for the permission.

Breathing in calm,

Breathing out relaxed.

You don't have to do anything with this moment.

I want you to visualize a beautiful natural landscape.

It could be a forest or a mountain range or a serene beach.

It's totally up to you.

And when you start visualizing it in full detail,

If it's the beach,

The water coming in and out,

If it's the forest,

Maybe in nature or the trees and the leaves just moving slightly,

Maybe every now and again a leaf falling off a tree,

Or a mountain range,

You might see the clouds moving above them.

Or maybe like me,

As I say each one,

They move from one to the other.

So just notice the subtle changes.

And notice it's just like your breath.

The subtle changes your breath does to your body.

Lean back and forwards very,

Very subtly,

Where your chest raises and then lowers.

A subtle pause at the top of the breath.

And all the while the world outside is changing slowly with the flow of the current moment.

Every taste you have right now comes and goes.

Every emotion comes and goes.

Every sound you hear.

Even if it's something similar like a droning noise or a fan or a river,

The noise is still changing,

Even if it's very subtle.

I want you to turn your attention inward.

I want you to think of an experience in your own life where you maybe had changes of thoughts and feelings,

And a relationship changed.

Maybe your circumstances changed.

And with each breath just accept these changes as if you're sitting there observing them.

Almost as if it's not you and it's not your life.

You're just watching the changes come and go.

Really dig deep and feel that it's natural for these changes to occur.

Can you acknowledge that these natural changes are all part of life?

Can you feel the sense of liberation and acceptance for these?

It's like suddenly you're feeling better.

It's like,

Ah,

It's okay.

And if we didn't have change,

Everything would be the same.

We'd still be in caves.

And now we'll connect back with nature and feel a sense of unity especially with a natural landscape in your visualization.

And just as nature gradually accepts change,

So can you.

Nature doesn't fight it.

It's just,

Ah,

What's next?

And as you're continuing to connect with nature,

Just really appreciate all the times that you've been part of change.

That maybe you've resisted it and you've been okay with it in the end.

And all those times things have worked out when you think they wouldn't have done.

The joy and all those little moments that wouldn't have happened if things hadn't changed.

And now I'm going to count back from five and I want you to gently change back to your surroundings and where you're to.

So five,

Four,

Gently open your eyes.

Three,

Shake out your arms.

Two,

Take a deeper breath and just look around the room and look around what you've got.

And see,

Although nothing's changed here now,

Lots of stuff's changed.

With every breath your body changes.

With every sound your body changes,

The outside world's changing.

Everything is in flux of changing.

And it's okay.

Because guess what?

You don't have to be in control of it all.

Nature's got it.

But we feel like we have to be in control of everything.

It's going to change whether you're resisting it or whether or not you want it to change or not.

It's going to change.

Do you know the best we can do on the deeper,

Really meaningful spiritual journey?

Is to embrace the moments that give us great experiences and recognize they're impermanent.

And it's to embrace the moments that give us a deeper sense of maybe suffering and painful experiences but we can learn from it.

And embrace the experience.

Because trust me,

They're both going to come and go.

We're going to move on from the moment.

When you really dial down and move from the philosophical understanding of change and impermanence and really embody it,

You become that oak tree in the field.

Doesn't worry about the winter,

Doesn't worry about the March and different times of the year,

The spring and autumn where it has to go with the leaves and the winter when it's going to be battered because it's ready.

It knows it's going to happen.

I hope you enjoyed this meditation.

Reviews

That was truly wonderful. Thank you!
The antidote to anxiety is curiosity.

As always Stevens meditations are just what I needed to hear and learn to understand. Such calming reassuring voice and words. 🙏

Beautiful and meaningful message. Thank you for the mindful reminder to embrace change. Namaste 🙏

This is the first time I have listened to one of your meditations. This one was terrific and just what I needed right now ! Thank you so much 🙏

Just wonderful to be reminded of this.
Thank you Steven.
Love the analogy of the oak tree.

Excellent! Really made a difference in my day and my perspective. Thanks 🙏

I love this time of year! Bearing witness to the leaves letting go with ease and grace, embracing impermanence. Transformative, inspiring and powerful 🍁

I loved this! Change happens all the time! How can I ever be bored! Thank you !

Thank you for sharing this gentle reminder and meditation 🧘‍♀️ Very soothing message 🥀

Beautiful 🤩 encouraging and very calming too. 💞

Soothing. Gives me perspective. Helps me let go of resistance. Thank you! 🙏🏼 💕

I love this one Stephen. I have always had a challenge with change so I felt as if you were speaking directly to me. I agree with all you say.
Thank you so much.
💖🙏🕊🌟

Thank you, so wonderfully conveyed. Many blessings!