7 Why We Suffer
WHEN WE LOOK deeply at the nature of things, we see that in fact everything is impermanent. Nothing exists as a permanent entity; everything changes. It is said that we cannot step into the same river twice. If we look for a single, permanent entity in a river, we will not find it. The same is true of our physical body. There is no such thing as a self, no absolute, permanent entity to be found in the element we call “body.” In our ignorance we believe that there is a permanent entity in us, and our pain and suffering manifest on the basis of that ignorance. If we touch deeply the nonself nature in us, we can get out of that suffering.
So frustrating. You think you know someone, then they tell you they are a Buddhist and you have to meet them all over again.
How do you carry a conversation with someone who can’t maintain a unified vision of self long enough for you to finish a sentence?
Have you never changed your mind 180° about some topic? Or have you never had a person voice an opinion that goes completely against prior beliefs? (It’s easier to spot it in others.)
Don’t be annoyed when that happens. You’re experiencing a different ‘them’ now.
