That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not provides wisdom. (116)

Stephen Levine
That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not...
That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not...
That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not...
That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not...
About This Quote

This is about the power of impermanence to reveal the true nature of things. This is a profound statement in Mahayana Buddhism. In fact, it is a direct quote from the Theravada Pali Canon, one of the earliest scriptures in the Buddhist canon. The Buddha uses two terms—impermanence and non-impermanence—to distinguish between true and apparent realities.

Impermanent phenomena are those that come and go in a moment, while impermanent phenomena are those that do not come and go so quickly. Impermanent phenomena have an effect that lasts only a moment before they cease to exist. Impermanence is about change, which makes impermanent phenomena temporary or fleeting.

However, non-impermanence is not just another word for permanence, since permanence already implies change and change implies impermanence. Non-impermanence describes things that continue through time without coming into existence or ceasing to exist. Non-impermanence is like permanence on steroids, with its implications of lasting forever.

It’s like the idea that everything that comes into existence comes into existence only temporarily; it has some kind of lifespan (a dewdrop on a tree does not live forever).

Source: A Year To Live: How To Live This Year As If It Were Your Last

Some Similar Quotes
  1. When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable. - Jess C. Scott
  2. The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends. - Friedrich Nietzsche
  3. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection - Sharon Salzberg
  4. In youth, it was a way I had, To do my best to please. And change, with every passing lad To suit his theories. But now I know the things I know And do the things I do, And if you do not like me... - Dorothy Parker
  5. You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and... - Sharon Salzberg
More Quotes By Stephen Levine
  1. We are motivated more by aversion to the unpleasant than by a will toward truth, freedom, or healing. We are constantly attempting to escape our life, to avoid rather than enter our pain we, and we wonder why it is so difficult to be fully...
  2. There is nothing noble about suffering except the love and forgiveness with which we meet it. Many believe that if they are suffering they are closer to God, but I have met very few who could keep their heart open to their suffering enough for...
  3. That which is impermanent attracts compassion. That which is not provides wisdom. (116)
  4. You have to remember one life, one death—this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the inbreath or outbreath, requires only a moment, this moment. And along with it all...
  5. Death is perfectly safe. (55)
Related Topics