Frozen in time

The Buddha compared the course of our life to the trajectory of an arrow. Just as the arrow rushes toward its target, our life proceeds inexorably towards death. To us, it appears as though time is fixed. As we stare at a person, or at ourselves, we do not see any change from second to second. Yet, we really are changing. Our bodies are changing. Our mind is changing. Nothing ever remains the same. This is what Buddhists call subtle impermanence, or even subtle suffering. It is called suffering because the perception that things remain the same, that they are therefore real objects which we can cling to and find support in, is actually completely and totally illusory. All conceptual constructs are constantly bubbling in and out of existence. People in their youth typically have no comprehension of the reality that they will one day either grow old or die. This is somewhat odd, in that this one of the most blatantly obvious things we can observe about reality. The Buddhist view is that this elementary error is due to lifetimes of habit. We habitually cling to objects as real. We habitually cling to our current form as permanent. Yet nothing is permanent, and therein lies hope. By abandoning our attachment to what is impermanent, we can find happiness in the vast nonconceptual state of Buddhahood. More importantly, if we abandon attachment to self and dedicate ourselves to the happiness of others, the subtle suffering coming from our attachment to outer appearances dissolves, and the clear light of Buddhahood shines forth.