One of the most profound and universal teachings of Buddhism is the concept of impermanence. It means that everything in this world, whether physical or mental, is subject to change and decay. Nothing lasts forever, and nothing stays the same. This includes our bodies, our feelings, our thoughts, our relationships, our possessions, and even our identities.
This may sound depressing or scary, but it is also a source of wisdom and freedom. By recognizing the impermanence of all phenomena, we can learn to let go of our attachments, our cravings, and our aversions. We can also appreciate the preciousness of each moment, and the beauty of imperfection. We can cultivate a sense of gratitude, compassion, and equanimity in the face of life’s ups and downs.
One of the areas where impermanence challenges us the most is our sense of ownership. We often think that we own things, that we have rights and claims over them, that they belong to us. We invest our time, energy, and money in acquiring, maintaining, and protecting them. We derive our happiness, security, and identity from them. We fear losing them, and we suffer when we do.
But do we really own anything? Is ownership a reality or an illusion? What does it mean to own something in a world where everything is temporary and interdependent?
The great Sufi poet and mystic Rumi expressed this question beautifully in one of his poems:
Inside the Great Mystery that is, we don’t really own anything. What is this competition we feel then, before we go, one at a time, through the same gate?
Rumi invites us to reflect on the futility and absurdity of our worldly pursuits, our greed and envy, our pride and arrogance, when we are all destined to leave this world empty-handed. He reminds us that we are all part of a greater mystery, a divine reality, that transcends our limited and illusory sense of self and ownership.
Rumi’s words resonate with the Buddhist teachings on impermanence and non-self. According to Buddhism, we don’t own anything because nothing is permanent, and nothing is separate. Everything is impermanent, because everything is conditioned by causes and effects, and everything is subject to change and decay. Everything is non-self, because everything is interdependent, and everything is empty of inherent existence.
To illustrate this, let us take a simple example: a car. We may think that we own a car, that it is ours, that it is a solid and stable object. But if we look more closely, we will see that the car is not a single entity, but a collection of parts, such as the engine, the wheels, the seats, the windows, etc. Each part is also made of smaller parts, such as metal, plastic, rubber, glass, etc. Each part is also dependent on other factors, such as the fuel, the air, the road, the driver, etc. Each part is also subject to wear and tear, damage, and decay. The car is constantly changing, and so is our relationship with it. We may like it or dislike it, use it or neglect it, repair it or replace it, etc. The car is not a permanent or independent thing, but a temporary and interdependent phenomenon.
The same applies to everything else that we think we own, such as our house, our clothes, our money, our gadgets, etc. They are all impermanent and interdependent, and they are all subject to loss and change. The same also applies to our body, our feelings, our thoughts, our relationships, etc. They are all impermanent and interdependent, and they are all subject to aging, sickness, death, and separation.
If we understand this, we will realize that ownership is not a reality, but an illusion. We don’t really own anything, we only borrow it for a while. We don’t have any rights or claims over anything, we only have responsibilities and duties. We don’t derive our happiness, security, and identity from anything, we only create them in our mind.
This realization can liberate us from our attachment, our craving, and our aversion. We can learn to enjoy what we have, without clinging to it or depending on it. We can learn to share what we have, without being stingy or possessive. We can learn to let go of what we lose, without being sad or angry. We can learn to be content with what we have, without being greedy or envious.
This realization can also inspire us to seek a higher and deeper reality, a reality that is beyond impermanence and interdependence, a reality that is eternal and absolute, a reality that is the source of true happiness, security, and identity. This is the reality that Rumi called the Great Mystery, and that Buddhists call the Dharma, the ultimate truth.
By contemplating the impermanence of all phenomena, and the illusion of ownership, we can awaken to the reality of the Dharma, and the reality of our true nature. We can discover that we are not separate from the Great Mystery, but we are part of it, and we are one with it. We can discover that we don’t own anything, but we are everything, and everything is us.
This is the ultimate goal of Rumi’s poetry, and of Buddhism’s philosophy. This is the ultimate freedom and joy that impermanence can offer us, if we are willing to embrace it, and to transcend it.
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