{"id":215,"date":"2011-06-23T08:02:32","date_gmt":"2011-06-23T12:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/awakeintheworld\/?p=215"},"modified":"2011-06-24T15:44:18","modified_gmt":"2011-06-24T19:44:18","slug":"the-power-of-impernanance-finding-comfort-in-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/06\/the-power-of-impernanance-finding-comfort-in-change.html","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Impermanence: Finding Comfort in Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cLife is a joy between two pains.\u201d \u2013 Sai Baba<\/p>\n<p>When times are tough, it seems they will last an eternity. We get so caught up in the worry and anxiety that it\u2019s hard to see beyond to the better times up ahead. But those who have an anchor in spiritual life find it easier to pull themselves up, face the challenges and grow beyond them. In ancient times, a devotee of Buddha felt great anxiety at the Buddha\u2019s imminent departure from his village. \u201cI cannot bear life without you here,\u201d he wept. \u201cWhat will I do? I will be drawn into the extremes of suffering and joy and I will not be at peace.\u201d The Buddha wrote some wise words on a paper. \u201cWhen you are pulled by life into the extremes of joy or the lows of pain and worry, read this,\u201d he said handing the man the paper. The man opened the note. It read, \u201cThis will not last.\u201d<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/~\/media\/B88A0415ED254886BBE2E0EA36D2E500.ashx?w=333&amp;h=250\" alt=\"\" width=\"333\" height=\"250\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Though many of us dread change, it\u2019s often a comfort to know that whatever we are doing right now will change. Whatever our life condition is in the present moment, it will transform. Absolutely nothing in this life remains unchanged. By anchoring to the divine essence beneath the shifting plays of life and remembering the words of wisdom, \u201cThis will not last,\u201d we may move into a deeper, broader perspective.<\/p>\n<p>With effort and a concentrated focus on spiritual life and doing the right thing as dictated by our conscience, the life situation will improve. It may not move in the direction we expect, but it will not ever be stagnant. Things can change for the better or for worse. Take comfort in knowing that you are working to do your best \u2013 and do it. Never expect the world to conform to your desires. The only sure way to weather the turbulent ups and downs is to remain focused on the Divine that is above you, below you, all around you and in you.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Awake-World-Practices-Divinely-Inspired\/dp\/0738727229\">Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com\/\">http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cLife is a joy between two pains.\u201d \u2013 Sai Baba When times are tough, it seems they will last an eternity. We get so caught up in the worry and anxiety that it\u2019s hard to see beyond to the better times up ahead. But those who have an anchor in spiritual life find it easier&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,13,17,3],"tags":[141,108,140],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-prayer","category-sacrifice","category-spiritual-practice","tag-acceptance","tag-embracing-change","tag-spiritual-practice-of-celebrating-impermanance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Power of Impermanence: Finding Comfort in Change - Awake in the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Power of Impermanence: Finding Comfort in Change - Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cLife is a joy between two pains.\u201d \u2013 Sai Baba When times are tough, it seems they will last an eternity. We get so caught up in the worry and anxiety that it\u2019s hard to see beyond to the better times up ahead. 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