Changes are Permanent

Transcript

Welcome to a beautiful thought.

The title of today’s talk is changes are permanent.

I was thinking about this time I was in the temple Tham Krabok in Thailand and my monk friend was guiding us or teaching us a meditation technique about listening.

He put on this recording that was probably repeating every 12 bars or so, this instrument I don’t remember the name of. It’s this strange string instrument that can bend a lot. There’s a lot of texture to this sound.

Even though it’s repeating there’s a lot to explore when you’re listening. I remember mentioning to my friend afterwards like I was trying to hear the texture but the thing is the texture of a sound is something so elusive.

I try to hear it and of course the next moment it had already changed. And he just nodded.

Of course now with experience maybe it is impossible to do what I was trying to do. Trying to pin down the texture of the sound. It’s just not possible.

Maybe that doesn’t mean it isn’t a noble goal. Maybe it is. Many people remember that scene from the Karate Kid and the kid walks in and sees Mr. Miagi trying to cat flies with chopsticks.

Mr Miagi knows he will probably never attain that goal but he still tries.

For him its a meditation where he attempts to do something devoid of any attachment to the outcome. It doesn’t matter if he sits there for 50 years and never catches a single fly he will still be focused on his own movements, focused on what is going on.

The momentary fluctuations, movement of the fly and the movement of his own hands.

What I notice when I walk around the street, especially now, recording this on the first of June, 2020. Guadalajara here in Mexico has opened up a bit. Lots of people going out into the streets.

Maybe people outside of Mexico don’t know but the women from Jalisco are some of the most beautiful women in Mexico.

I have some habits I’d rather let go of. I can’t help but notice that there are beautiful women.

Sometimes I feel it inside of me and not just a feeling like “I notice that beauty” but “I desire that beauty, like I want to control or conquer it or something.”

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit but there’s something human about that.

And I mean I’m in a committed relationship I don’t want to act on these things but it’s real. I have these desires and I notice these things.

What I can do, what I found is I can acknowledge the moment to moment fluctuations.

There are parts of me that want to move myself in certain situations and I can acknowledge them.

And when I do acknowledge them, when I notice the fluctuations the changes that are always happening, the permanent changes… I notice there are gaps between them.

I notice that I don’t have to be restrained by my own desires, by the momentum of my habits and I can choose every moment what I’m going to do. I can choose peace and space inside myself.

And I notice also that this is a gateway to joy. Every moment is changing, change is permanent. Always with us. When we notice it, there’s something wonderful.

Thank you so much for listening, thank you for having a great day. Thank you for noticing every day fluctuations that are happening every moment and noticing the spaces in between them so you can push yourself ever so slightly towards joy and wonderfulness.