The thought of our own death or the death of our loved ones is something most of us avoid. We fear death and separation and so we don’t look at it directly until we have to…

The result is that we don’t prepare, psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually, and we don’t take advantage of looking at the truth of our situation here.

Caught in the past or fearing the future, people live their lives pursuing phantoms of what they believe will bring peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment. When we don’t really see the nature of our lives here, and embrace uncertainty, our lives become petty. Small things annoy us. We are competitive, jealous, stingy, and fearful, but all that can change.

When we embrace the truth of our being here it is empowering- it can be like riding a lion. We become fearless, and generous. We lose any hesitancy we may have had. We become dignified, conscientious, open hearted, helpful, straightforward, caring, and strong.

None of us knows how long we will have here. As Lama Zopa taught, we may think the person in the hospital will go first, but it really could happen that we leave this place before they do. Even if it is not generally so, at times, young people die before their elders. This happens every single day.

For some time, our name and possessions continue, but after a few short years, even these fade away. The virtue of what we accomplish is all that continues here. Surprisingly, these transient forms can communicate something our timeless nature.

Knowing the indeterminate nature of our being here, we can be immediately liberated from small motivations. Light appears in our words and actions, to give; with humility and grace, encouragement lifting both ourselves and others comes from this – the immediacy of love, our transcendent nature, time and what is beyond time meeting and knowing each other.

In meditation, at the beginning, middle and end of every meeting, and each day, we can see our lives this way, clearly.

From The Wisdom of Impermanence – Twenty Four Essays