THE TAO OF EVERYTHING,/b>

Thursday, May 23, 2024

The Impermanence of All Things

Everything is impermanent, and nothing lasts.

“Letting go is emptying the mundane,
to be filled with heavenly grace.

Blessed is he who has an empty mind.
He will be filled with knowledge and wisdom from the Creator.
Blessed is he who has no attachment to worldly things.
He will be compensated with heavenly riches.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 9)

According to Lao Tzu’s wisdom, impermanence holds the key to the art of living well. The reality, whether we like it or not, is that everything in this world is impermanent  because everything is forever changing. So, why do you fight a battle that has no chance of winning? Just be an observer of the combats of others, instead of becoming a participant yourself.

“The Creator seems elusive amid the changes of life.
At times, He seems to have forsaken His creations.
In reality, He is simply observing the comings and goings of their follies.

Likewise, we watch the comings and goings
of our likes and dislikes, of our desires and fears.
But we do not identify with them.
With no judgment and no preference,
we see the  mysteries of creation.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 7)

TAO is the only way through anything and everything in life. Understanding that everything is impermanent, we may begin to appreciate what we already have, instead of complaining the lack of what we desire or what others are having. More importantly, we may even have the wisdom of letting go of what we value. 

Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau

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