大象传媒

Good Morning.

February is often a challenging month for me. It鈥檚 invariably cold and wet, my January plans for self-improvement have had mixed results, and Spring is yet to arrive. In the early years of our marriage, this was the moment when I used to fret that our relationship was on the rocks 鈥� until I noticed that since the same thoughts came around with regularity, perhaps it wasn鈥檛 the drama that it seemed 鈥� it was just that February feeling.

The Persian poet Attar of Nishapur tells the story of a powerful king who asks the wise men of his country to create a ring that will make him happy when he is sad. Perhaps he was hoping for a piece of jewellery with magical powers.听 Instead, the sages handed him a simple ring with four words听 etched around it 鈥渢his too will pass鈥�. In a similar way, whenever I鈥檓 struggling I try to remember the Buddhist teachings on impermanence. Just as a plant emerges from a seed, just as clouds move across the sky, and just as the cells of our body are constantly renewing themselves, so our thoughts are changing in every second. So when I perpetuate t he idea that 鈥淚 am feeling down鈥� or even that 鈥淚 am like this or like that鈥� I鈥檓 not only allowing myself to become trapped by my negative emotions, but I鈥檓 being fundamentally unrealistic. Perhaps the original problem has already extinguished itself, without me noticing it?

Remembering impermanence is a very joyful thing to do, not just in February but all through the year. It reminds us that things will inevitably change, and fresh opportunities will arise, even if we can鈥檛 see around the corner. Let鈥檚 pray that we can all take comfort in the fact that Spring is on its way.

听