Friday, April 1, 2016

Thank Heavens Aporia Is Impermanent! - #216


Impermanence means that as things in life change, we are able to change with them.*

"Oh Tenzin, when I knelt before you in 1996 to capture your image, I wish I would have summoned the courage to ask you your personal views of impermanence. I like your definition above because it indicates that we need to make changes in response to the changes in the world. I wish I could have continued the conversation and found out what your opinion is on aporia."

It feels natural to converse with Tenzin as I see her every time I meditate. Her presence is very reassuring.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best dealing with change; as I age I'm seeing how everything does change whether I like it or not. Life is easier when I don't fight change.

But what about situations that feature an unresolvable internal contradiction - one definition of aporia? 

Trees change. Some grow scraggly. Some are in the way of new landscaping projects. But to think of chopping down a dignified tree that has grown for a decade or more seems cruel treatment of a living being. 

I wonder what you, Tenzin, would say? What do you readers think and say?
Please email me or leave a comment.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall



*Into the Heart of Life (2011), Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Pg. 7.

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