Impermanence In Buddhism Essay

One basic concept of Buddhism is the idea of impermanence. This principle is the foundation of everything Buddhism is built upon. Moreover, change is an inevitable part of the cycle of life that every living being on this Earth will experience at some point or another. According to Sogyal, “There is only one law in the universe that never changes – that all things change, and that all things are impermanent” (p. 26). Impermanence can be seen in various aspects of our lives; some of these instances are more obvious than others. The weather, the seasons, the time are constantly changing every day. As the world around us changes, we also see others experience changes such as old age, sickness, and death. This is representative of the fact
Sogyal stated, “What is born will die, what has been gathered will be dispersed, what has been accumulated will be exhausted, what has been built up will collapse, and what has been high will be brought low” (pg. 25). Too often, we assume that things are always going to be as they are because we get so wrapped up in feeling comfortable and secure. We subconsciously associate change with loss, unhappiness, and suffering. Buddhists believe that once we accept the truth about impermanence, we will find a sense of comfort. Furthermore, impermanence is a central theme throughout Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Little Buddha. For example, at the end of the film, Lama Norbu shows Dean and Jesse the mandala made of grains of sand a few of the monks have been meticulously working on over the past couple of months. He explains to them that once they have completed the mandala, they will sweep every last grain of sand away. This is symbolic of the belief that nothing is permanent and all things in this life – no matter how hard you work – are temporary. We are just passengers in this life, subject to all types of