Not too long ago…during a guided meditation… the leader instructed us to leave our eyes open, and… without shifting our gaze…take note of everything that entered and exited our field of vision.
Right away, I noticed how the morning breeze randomly stirred the branches of a nearby tree and how the small birds were darting about. I became aware of the sounds of traffic on the roadway…now silent and then loud. I could also feel the change in temperature on the top of my head as the sun moved in and out of the clouds.
All of it was random and unpredictable. Coming and going…. all of it.
The purpose of the exercise was to help us understand that most of what we experience…what we hear, feel, or see…is short-lived. Everything is always coming and going.
Our meditation leader went on to explain that while it’s easy to realize the fleeting nature of random sounds and sights, our thoughts…sad or happy, encouraging or worrisome …also have this same insubstantial quality. Nothing of it is lasting. All of it coming and going.
Here’s something else… you don’t have to hold on to any of it. You can observe these thoughts… like you’re watching them from a distance…and eventually they will fade out of view… like so many quick, darting sparrows.
Later that afternoon…I was listening to some Pink Floyd. I noticed how the lyrics of the song Comfortably Numb expressed this same idea…everything is always coming and going.
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look, but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
Here’s a video of the song.
Okay, okay… I realize the song is about being high on drugs, but at least part of the tune is kinda Buddhist-ish!
If you were around in the late 1970s, you probably know the words…unless you were listening to Disco!
Sound like a Buddhist… the Sanskrit word for the coming and going nature of existence is annica (impermanence).
Funny...You Don't Look Buddhist 