The Reality of Impermance

The five remin­ders about the rea­li­ty of imper­ma­nence and kar­ma are attri­bu­t­ed to Buddha hims­elf, as taught in the Upajjhatthana Sutta. 

Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) tea­ches how the prac­ti­ce of reci­ting and con­tem­pla­ting the­se 5 sen­ten­ces dai­ly will mas­sa­ge our deep sea­ted fear and even­tual­ly allow us to bet­ter deal with our anger, as the anger is nours­hed by deep sea­ted fears.

Contemplating the Five Recollections hel­ps us to bet­ter accept life’s dif­fi­cul­ties and moti­va­tes us to prac­ti­ce and be kind to our­sel­ves and others.

  1. I am of the natu­re to grow old; the­re is no way to escape gro­wing old. 
  2. I am of the natu­re to have ill health; the­re is no way to escape having ill health. 
  3. I am of the natu­re to die; the­re is no way to escape death. 
  4. All that is dear to me and ever­yo­ne I love are of the natu­re to chan­ge.
    There is no way to escape being sepa­ra­ted from them. 
  5. My deeds are my clo­sest com­pa­n­ions.
    I am the bene­fi­cia­ry of my deeds.
    My deeds are the ground on which I stand. 

Try reci­ting them three times over and noti­ce how your fee­lings about them do or do not chan­ge in the pro­cess of this practice.