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Breathing and Smiling to Impermanence
Impermanence is ceaseless change, neither bad nor good; it is the essential condition for a child to grow up and for a kernel of corn to become a corn plant. To deal with unexpected changes like accidents or illness, the most important thing is to live awake, healthy, and deeply in the present moment. We need to cherish the loved ones around us and realize that we are in paradise with clear eyes and healthy limbs, instead of complaining and not knowing that we are luckier than 60 million compatriots back home. When encountering things that go against our wishes, a calm mind will help our Buddha nature manifest to recognize and fix the problem in a better way.
In the art of living together, people need to be cared for skillfully like a lettuce plant: we do not blame the plant when it wilts, but must check if the amount of water and fertilizer is appropriate, avoiding suffocating our beloved. To keep the mind peaceful in the face of all impermanence, the method of practice based on the 16 breathing exercises in the Anapanasati Sutra is summarized into a gatha:
- Breathing in, my mind is calm.
- Breathing out, I smile.
Conscious breathing helps thousands of cells calm down and releases the tension in the facial muscles. Looking deeply into life and death, we see that it is only transformation: a cloud does not die but transforms into rain, into a rose, or a cucumber. When a loved one passes away, it is not just the disintegration of the physical body; they continue to flow through their descendants and the merits they have left behind. The Buddha, the mendicant of old on Vulture Peak, is still there, and the Udumbara flower still blooms every day for those who know how to listen to the sound of the rising tide.
