Nothing remains the same

January 23, 2023 | 8:10am

Opening my eyes to the light of the sun feels invigorating. Weeks of heavy rain and howling gusty winds are a thing of the past, yet within the reach of my memory. Contrast is real. Nothing remains the same. The way of life reveals this again and again, yet we often seek to hold tightly to what is, that, or we seek to discard what we do not like. The mind naturally seeks to weed out the undesired while welcoming in the pleasant, as I have welcomed in the sun.

Everything has its time and place. Floods sweep through cleansing the earth while simultaneously destroying what does not withstand the weight of its pulse. We bend from our ability to be flexible. We also break from our rigidity. Yet without contrast, we would not appreciate the very thing we seek to hold tightly and permanently in our hands. It is because of darkness that we know light.

The late Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, talked about living life with open palms. In this way, we touch life's experiences loosely without clinging or resisting. Knowing that all things arise, and all things pass away, we can begin cultivating the practice of being with, and of turning toward rather than away. Painful experiences are a natural part of being sentient—no one is exempt. Yet the pressure of our ego has us grasping in resistance, which inevitably leads to greater suffering. When we allow ourselves enough spaciousness to stand in the heat of the moment and breathe, we not only lessen the heat but also create an opening to see beyond what is happening; we have access to seeing a larger perspective.

I embrace the light of the sun and the way that it energizes me. I hold it with open palms knowing that rain promises to return eventually. Still, my focus is not there on some unknown future; it rests instead right here in the light of now.