finding comfort in impermanence
“It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.”
In the springtime of late March, cherry blossoms (sakura; 桜) bloom to bless Japan, offering a glimpse of their striking beauty before floating gently down to the earth and disappearing for another year.
Various weather factors are keenly tracked to accurately forecast the exact timing of the opening of the first blossoms (kaika). These first buds open in the South of Japan and trigger an explosive chain reaction that sends the iconic cherry blossom front northwards and flowers bloom throughout the country. After about a week, the sakura reach mankai (full bloom) and the country is illuminated by their gentle soft pink beauty.
The annual cherry blossom season is a hugely significant time in Japanese culture and is one of the country’s most anticipated events. Every year, thousands of foreign visitors flock to the famous sakura tree parks of Japan to witness the unique natural attraction in its glorious splendour and to take part in Hanami with the locals. Hanami, known as the “cherry blossom festival”, is a time for celebration, where people gather under the blooming cherry blossoms for food, drink, songs, companionship and reflection.
This celebration of the transient beauty of the sakura flowers is a tradition that has been part of the Japanese mindset since the Nara period of the 8th Century (710-794). Historically, the cherry blossom season was considered to be a blessing of the year’s harvest and signified the beginning of rice-planting season. People believed in kami (gods) that lived inside the sakura trees and the flowers were offerings of good fortune.
The flowers come and go within two weeks — their limited existence is what makes the blossom so gorgeous. If we knew that the flowers would stay forever, they wouldn’t sustain the same poignant beauty and we’d take them for granted.
A sad but beautiful admiration for the impermanence of life. A moment of awareness, an acceptance of the fluctuations of the natural world. The sakura’s fleeting essence representative of the transient nature of our existence.
“The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realised the nature of the world.”
The true beauty of life reveals itself when we surrender to the present moment. Peace is the stillness that is found through focusing attention on this beauty. Regardless of how chaotic and constantly changing our environment might seem, it is always possible to access peace.
When we become comfortable with this sensation, we free ourselves from the attachment to things of the past and expectations for the future and we are able to experience the limitless freedom of life.
Non-attachment is considered a wise virtue by various Eastern religions, such as Jainism, Taoism and Buddhism. It is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world in order to gain a heightened perspective.
Although the concept of impermanence was discovered and brought to light by these religious teachers, it is not an idea that contradicts a scientific understanding of life. Since Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity, quantum scientists have confirmed that in this world of space/time duality and causality, everything is energy; and every form and phenomenon, whether or not perceptible or measurable, is ephemeral; we do indeed live in a world of permanent impermanence.
The pink haze of the cherry blossoms creates an atmosphere of optimism and vitality, stimulating a nation-wide mood lift. A natural form of hypnotism, filling people with a sense of wonder of the mystery of nature, and faith that they can trust in the process of life’s unfolding.
While we as humans can’t comprehend the extent of the universe, the sakura’s beauty reassures us that forces greater than ourselves are at work and we are being divinely looked after.
Having faith in a bigger picture helps us to feel more comfortable with our temporary existence on earth. By acknowledging the limits of our human perspective we can not only just cope with loss, but we can choose to transform grief from a negative experience into an opportunity for growth and expansion.
Our inability to comprehend the entire expanse of the universe could be the biggest freedom of all. Things might not seem to go according to plan — find comfort in knowing that everything you experience is part of a transition and transformation period that’s leading you to your bliss and abundance.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
― Alan Watts
