How many times can the same man stand in the same river? Once. Because neither the man or the river are ever the same.

The buddha taught that there are 3 universal characteristics of life. Dukkha (suffering), Anatta (non-self) and Anicca (impermanence). The nature of reality is that all things are constantly changing and therefore all things are impermanent.

Jobs, relationships, good times, bad times, thoughts, emotions, loved ones and literally everything we know or perceive will pass out of existence. Even though we may think we know this, we continue to cling to many things as if they were permanent. Because we want them to last.

Buddhism teaches two types of impermanence, gross and subtle. Gross impermanence happens on a large scale. Matter decays, people pass away, empires and governments rise and fall, societal norms evolve. This is the type of impermanence we see all around us. Like clouds, things arise, endure for some period of time and then dissolve.

Subtle impermanence is smaller, moment to moment change. At this very moment, you are physically changing as cells in your body die and regenerate. Quite literally, you are not the same exact person who started reading this post just moments ago. With training, we can begin to see ourselves and the world as it truly is, collections of impermanent, momentary experiences.

As we start to understand the nature of impermanence, our tendency to cling to outcomes and expectations begins to diminish. That doesn’t mean it will suddenly be easy to lose a loved one or get fired from your job. It just means the suffering of loss will go more smoothly when we learn to see things as they really are. That loss is a natural part of existence, rather than something we need to fight against.

When we understand that all things are impermanent, we can begin to find more joy and meaning in every moment as it passes.