Meditation on Impermanence

The Reflection on Impermanence

A-Khrid Session One

Position: First sit in the fivefold position and suddenly shout Phat! in order to induce the entrance into an absorption state (samadhi) in which there is no attachment whatsoever.

As to the key point of the body, sit in the fivefold position as follows:

1.  the legs are crossed in the lotus position;

2. the hands are placed one on top of the other (with the left hand above the right for men and the opposite for women), palms up, with the thumbs pressing the base of the ring fingers;

3.  the spine is kept straight and the shoulders are straightened up;

4.  the neck is slightly bent forward; and

5.  the eyes gaze directly in front, directed along the line of the nose. 

Contemplation: Then, reflect on the human body as having the nature of a corpse, as being similar to a bubble appearing on a lake, etc. The time of death is totally undetermined, as well as the place where death will occur, the circumstances that will characterize it, etc. The only thing that one can be certain of is that death is ineluctable. When the moment has come, riches and relations are of no use and are actually causes leading to further suffering.

This imputed "I" constitutes a wandering consciousness from the intermediate state forced inside an uncut whole body of flesh, blood and bones and covered by a thin skin. It is certainly a house of pain and impurities. In its nature, it is a corpse, a skeleton scarecrow, a net of nerves, and, in its appearance, a cemetery. When thought of, it is frightening. When examined, it arouses a shudder of fear. A-tsa-ma! Look at it! One has devoted oneself to nursing this "I" nicely, fondling it, and providing ornaments and clothing in the hope it would be something immortal. Now it is the source of sicknesses and an ocean of pain. Eventually, it will end up leaving behind either a handful of burnt bones, or a piece of rotten carcass, or a ditch full of insects, or something to be de­stroyed by birds and animals. Time rolls on, months absorbed in the sky and days in the earth. One might not be ready, but the time of death will come. In such circumstances, the time of death is not predetermined, nor is the place and cause. Yet, death is definite. None will accompany one then. Ang! One does not know when one will die. At the time of death, the wealth one has accumulated, the friends one is acquainted with, the kith and kin one is related to, the castle one has built, the food one has relished, the clothes one has put on, and all other things in this illusory world are not going to accompany or help. Ang! Instead of being helpful, they could cause desire, pain and deception. Alone and naked, one will wander in unknown lands. Deprived of one's physical body, one will be like an orphan. Driven by bloodthirsty and murderous ghosts, one will suffer. When the results of one's own bad karma have befallen one, only the lama and the archetype can give one hope, for whatever they do, they do it with a kind heart.

Furthermore, in the course of many lives down to the present, one has been born so many times, but has one achieved any result? One thinks about it. One has wandered in so many places, but has one found any place of safety, etc.? One thinks about it. One has done so many deeds, but has there been any essential meaning one is now seeing? One thinks about it. One has suffered a lot in those past lives, but do those sufferings have any effect on this present life? One thinks about it.

Also, one thinks: it is evident that in the days to come, no one escapes the fact that birth eventually invites death. It is known that anything that is accumulated eventually runs out and that the food and other properties one has accumulated are illusory. One eventually gets separated from anything with which one has come into contact and the very concept of enemy or relative is decep­tion. Apparently, life cannot be made short or prolonged. One has mistaken the goal in those good months and years in the past, which is now clear. Should one knowingly deceive oneself in the future?

Also, one thinks about the changing nature of appearances, their formation, continuity, dissolution and extinction; the chang­ing nature of time, such as year, month, number of days, mo­ments and the shortest fraction of a moment; the changing condition in the lives of other living beings, such as being happy, unhappy, rich, poor, of high position, low position, death, birth, good and bad. Turning to oneself, one thinks about the changes taking place in the surrounding objects, such as the place one is living in, friends one is keeping in touch with, deeds one is doing, food one is relishing, clothes one is putting on, paths one is walking on and so forth.

Results: You should ponder upon these reflections on impermanence, so that a deep feeling of renunciation from the world dawns naturally within your mental continuum. Outer manifestations will appear as illusory and unreal, and all attachments will naturally disappear, to the extent that the sole reflection that should arise in your mind is the concentration on the principle of the natural state of the Great Perfection, which is explained later in the sessions of the main practice.

In this way, if this meditation on impermanence becomes fully integrated into one's mind-stream, then the sensation of fear, skin-startling shudders, hyperventilation or a feeling of disgust at oneself will occur. Also, for every sort of person engaged in this practice, since they have understood the manner in which things become manifest and the nature of karma, it is impossible that a positive change will not occur in their mind.

If this is seen to happen, then the meditation on imperma­nence is accomplished. For that person all appearances are illu­sory, clinging to inherent existence is cut off, samsara is seen as disgusting, worldly deeds are seen as lacking essence, the devilish concept of friend and foe is eradicated and knots of attachment and desire are undone. The real purpose comes spontaneously in one's mind. One will regard nothing except the lama as the source of advice, Eternal Bon as the object to rely upon single-pointedly, the practice of the Great Perfection as the mind and body training, and caves and secluded sites as the places to live in. In this way, one becomes a person integrated into the practice. 

Duration: Meditate in this manner for a duration of five to seven days. These reflections are the first of the fifteen sessions of Atri. These meditations are to be understood as performed on the cushion during retreats in  an isolated place.