September 12, 2026

Before It Bursts

Look upon the world as a bubble, look upon it as a mirage; the king of death does not see him who thus looks down upon the world.

The Dhammapada is a collection of the Buddha's sayings, gathered from his decades of teaching across northern India and preserved in the Pali Canon centuries after his death. This verse compares the world to a bubble and a mirage — things that appear solid or real for a moment, then vanish without a trace. The Buddha taught that whoever sees existence this way, clearly and without illusion, is no longer gripped by fear of death, because they never mistook the passing show for something permanent to defend. In the Eastern wisdom traditions, impermanence is not a grim fact to be endured but a doorway to freedom: moods, relationships, bodies, even the self we cling to, are all in motion, and peace comes from meeting that motion with open hands rather than a clenched fist. Practicing this daily means noticing each pleasure and each pain as it arises, enjoying it fully, and releasing it without a fight when it moves on.

A principle of Eastern Wisdom: Impermanence →