Impermanence - Week 5 of 6 of Our Meditation Series at ArcStone

If you missed why many of us at ArcStone are meditating in the first place, take a quick peek at "Practicing Mindfulness at Work – A 6 Week Meditation Series."

When we hear the word meditation many of us picture someone sitting silently with their legs crossed, eyes closed, and palms facing upwards. We assume they are tuning out the world and clearing their thoughts. At least, this is what I assumed meditation was before starting our six week series.

Last week, as we entered week five, David showed us a whole other side of meditation in which you use a meditative state to more fully contemplate larger concepts. One such concept? Impermanence.

Why reflect on impermanence?

As we discussed in our week five session, reflecting on things such as impermanence while in a meditative state can change the way you live your life outside of meditation. To help explain this, David referenced the works of Ken McCloud, an expert in this realm of meditative practices.

McCloud describes it as follows,

“When you truly take to heart [impermanence], you naturally focus energy and attention on the aspects of life in which you feel most alive and present… you pay full attention to the important relationships in your life.”

David expressed how this has been influential in his own life. He wanted to introduce it to us to see if it was something any of us wanted to pursue after our six week series.

How does this type of meditative practice work in general?

McCloud walks us through our practice. He suggests stretching your 20-30 minutes into 45-60 minutes and then dividing your time into three sections:

1. “Establish a base attention” – simply bring your attention to basic meditation. Focus on your breath as we discussed especially in week two.
2. “Bring your attention to the material” – the “material” he refers to is actually the images and ideas brought into your thoughts.
3. “Let the understanding diffuse through your whole being” – the last part refers to letting go of the images and ideas, and settling back into simply breathing. By breathing with your “whole body” it takes these contemplations from merely your thoughts, to a more full-body awareness.

Impermanence pieces to consider

• Purpose? “To know that everything we experience is impermanent.”
• Phrase to repeat in your practice: “Consider how everything changes; nothing stays the same.”
• “Changes to the world:
• Galaxies, stars, and planets
• Oceans, continents, mountains, hills, lakes, and rivers
• Plants, trees, shrubs, grasses, meadows, prairies, forests
• Animals, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects
• Human society, empires, countries, nations, governments
• Clothes, fashions, fads
• Philosophies, social and scientific theories, artistic forms
• Weather, long-term cycles, seasons, day by day
• Moment-to-moment change in the world around us”
• “Changes to the body:
• External changes: hair, skin, fingernails, and toenails
• Internal changes: muscles, bones, blood, heart, lungs, and other organs
• Abilities: to see, hear, taste, touch, smell, think, remember
• Appetites: food, sex, exercise, sleep
• Changes in height, weight, and shape as we mature and age
• Cellular and metabolic changes”
• “Changes in Personality and Belief Systems
• Dominant personality traits
• Likes and dislikes
• Beliefs and ideas about who we are
• Beliefs and ideas about the world
• How we are in relationships
• How we see and experience the world
• How we think and how we interpret experience”

What McCloud instructs us to keep in mind:

In his writing, McCloud warns that this practice can bring up a lot of emotion and/or difficult thoughts. Yet he also encourages you to work on this practice until it makes you emotional.

“When understanding reaches this level, you feel something break or shift inside you...Ideally, you should practice each of these meditations until you feel that shift.”

Another helpful piece McCloud addresses is how sometimes this material is something you’re comfortable tackling, and other days you’ll feel less willing to go there. He suggests working hard and deeply at times when you’re open to it and focusing more on consistency when you’re in the latter state of mind.

How can this affect your workday?

As we discussed in our session with David, this can change the way you life your day-to-day life. If practiced fully, it’s likely you will value the more important aspects of your day and not be as shaken by things that don’t matter.

As McCloud concludes,

“You understand that everything changes, that what seems so constant and permanent can actually vanish or change beyond recognition at any time for reasons completely beyond your control… The only thing to do is what’s in front of you, making the best effort possible.”

When we take time to reflect on the world’s impermanence and our own, we tend to shift our focus onto what matters.

– Here's the link to all our meditation series –