The Enlightenment Sutra

This is the first of things to remember:
Throughout all the world there is nothing that's permanent.
Even the Earth has a nature of transience.
Bodies are centers of sorrow and emptiness.
All of my parts are devoid of self,
Are dependent on causes and therefore, impermanent,
Changing, decaying and out of control.
Expectations of permanence cause disappointment,
Forming attachments that lead to wrongdoing.
Observing the world in this light, may I daily
progress toward freedom from birth and death.


My behavior recently has been that of possession and permanence. Which has lead me to obsessing over something that has proven to be impermanent. Often I turn to views of simplicity to straighten out what, at the moment, appears to be complicated. The only constant thing is change (India Arie...Acoustic Soul, I'm sure it's been said by others but this was my musical reference!). This is always true. Feelings change...either they grow stronger or lessen, but always changing. People change. It doesn't take a major life event to change...I am not the same person I was a month ago, much less years ago. What I, and maybe others, have to accept is that when I try to make something permanent that is not, it seems to result in disappointment. The goal is to let go of the need to make things permanent. I have been disappointed due to my perception of certain situations, my vision of what I want, obsession and trying to make something permanent when it clearly is not. Why do we do this? Is it a need to control what will happen? Is it to prevent complications? When trying to prevent or control something, don't we always end up losing "control" and feeling disappointed?


this is only the first of the sutra, maybe the others will come later