Everything changes.
This is not a poetic thought — it’s a universal truth, and one of the most powerful insights in Buddhism. Known as anicca in Pali, impermanence is the truth that nothing stays the same. Not our bodies. Not our emotions. Not our relationships. Not the seasons. Not even our thoughts from moment to moment.
At first, this may seem unsettling. But look deeper, and you’ll see: impermanence isn’t just a truth to accept — it’s a doorway to freedom.
Everything Arises and Passes Away
The Buddha observed that all conditioned things — everything that comes into existence due to causes — are unstable. This includes:
- Material things: our bodies, our possessions, the world around us.
- Mental states: joy, sorrow, anger, inspiration.
- Relationships and identities: careers, roles, even our sense of “self.”
Peter Harvey describes anicca as the universal characteristic of existence. Nothing endures. Even the happiest moments will pass. Even pain does not last forever.
This isn’t a pessimistic view. It’s a clear-eyed recognition of the way things are. When we resist impermanence, we suffer. When we understand it, we can live with more grace and wisdom.
Why We Suffer: Clinging to the Unstable
We suffer not because things change — but because we expect them not to.
- We cling to pleasure, hoping it will last.
- We avoid pain, hoping it will never come.
- We build identities around temporary things and feel lost when they shift.
The Buddha taught that clinging to what is impermanent creates suffering (dukkha). Not because we’re doing something wrong, but because we’re relating to life in the wrong way.
Imagine trying to hold onto a sandcastle during high tide. No matter how tightly you grip, the water will wash it away. Life is like that — beautiful, temporary, and always moving.
Letting Go Is Not Losing — It’s Loving More Deeply
Understanding impermanence doesn’t mean we stop loving, creating, or caring. It means we do so with full awareness — knowing that all things are fleeting, and therefore infinitely precious.
- We listen more deeply because we know the conversation will end.
- We forgive more easily because we know tomorrow is not promised.
- We cherish the ordinary because we know nothing lasts forever.
Letting go isn’t indifference. It’s learning to hold life with open hands — to love without grasping, to act without expectation, to be present without fear.
Impermanence in Practice
How can we bring this wisdom into everyday life?
- Mindfulness
Notice change in your breath, your thoughts, the sensations in your body. Watch how feelings rise and fall. This strengthens your ability to respond wisely instead of react. - Reflection
Remind yourself gently: This, too, will pass. In joy and sorrow alike, remember the flowing nature of experience. - Gratitude
When we know something won’t last, we begin to appreciate it more — not clinging to it, but honoring it fully while it’s here. - Compassion
Recognizing impermanence in others softens our judgments. We realize everyone is struggling with change, loss, and fear — just like us. - Non-attachment
This doesn’t mean apathy. It means not confusing the temporary for the eternal. It means freeing ourselves from the illusion that anything can stay as it is.
Impermanence and Freedom
Paradoxically, impermanence is what makes freedom possible.
- If pain were permanent, healing would be impossible.
- If habits were fixed, growth couldn’t happen.
- If identity were unchanging, transformation would be out of reach.
But because all things change, we can change.
Because the mind is fluid, we can soften fear, plant compassion, and awaken wisdom.
This is why the Buddha didn’t just teach impermanence as a truth to accept — he taught it as a liberating insight. When deeply seen, anicca uproots our false sense of control and opens the heart to a wider peace.
Conclusion: Flow with the River
Life is a river, not a rock. It flows whether we resist it or not.
Impermanence invites us to stop clinging to the bank, and instead — float.
To trust that even in uncertainty, we can find stillness.
To love fiercely, knowing that everything we touch is both fragile and sacred.
And to remember, always:
What arises, will pass.
What passes, will return in a new form.
And who we are is not what we cling to — but what we’re willing to release.