February

Only five of us today so less formal with a lot of time to talk. We did look at a couple of videos one just for amusement a seven minute summary of the French Revolution.
After the break we looked into this philosophical way of looking at the world.

 BY BRIAN THOMPSON.

All things are continually changing—including our minds, their contents, people, places, things, our entire galaxy... and beyond. And in such a way, no thing actually IS. Rather, things (including you and me) can only temporarily BE.

IS implies a perception of permanence, safety, security and solidity, while BEING on the other hand, recognizes the momentary state of flux that is the inherent nature of everything. This parsing of language, while perhaps somewhat semantic, serves as a reminder that all things within your perception are in continual transition. Everything.

When we transpose this understanding into our daily lives, rather than getting upset in believing that a person IS rude, for example, reconsider your words and realize the person is simply BEING rude. While the difference is slight (and surely one that most people wouldn't even notice), it does have a dramatic impact on how you perceive people, things, places, predicaments, and the events around you. In essence, this slight shift in thinking changes your entire way of seeing and interpreting the world.

When we truly realize, deep within our hearts, the impermanence of everyone's behaviours (including our own), the bitterness that might otherwise be tasted from sour experiences is thereby sweetened. Being mindful of this, we no longer take things so personally, because we know their appearance and occurrence will soon flicker and fade.

So, rather than condemn an entire person forever based upon your generalized assumption of them, why not just make a temporary observation regarding their current behaviour, understanding that their behaviour can—and will—change. The behaviour isn’t the person. The problem isn’t permanent. The thought isn’t the truth. The feeling isn’t forever. Things don’t really exist; they merely flicker in and out of temporary being. This realization has an incredible impact on how you relate to every single aspect of your life.

By perceiving all apparent things as temporary beings in transition—including your emotions, your thoughts, your job, your car, the traffic, your friends, your so-called enemies, your finances, your problems, and yes, even the weather—you invite patience and compassion into your current presence of awareness. In so doing, you naturally become more accepting and forgiving, which changes your entire way of being.

Invite peace into present consciousness. No longer search for conflict by being divisive with arbitrary subjective opinions of how you believe something is. Accept and allow things to simply be as they currently are, knowing it will soon change. Realize that we are all just simply inter-being together, where no behaviour, action, or event can ever be labelled as anything's ultimate truth or undying nature.

Make no stamp of lasting judgement upon any thing. Make no assumption regarding the apparent appearance of any thing’s permanent is-ness. It’s an illusion, and this too shall pass. See the temporary and transient nature of all apparent things, and your being will flicker with the natural harmony and happiness of your true self, no longer being distracted by struggling with temporary illusions.