Landmark: Observe Impermanent People
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| Landmark: Observe Impermanent People | |
|---|---|
| Beacons | Association |
| Realms | Enrollment |
| Lenses | Nonself |
| Guides | People |
| Trails | Learn About Association |
The Landmark of Observe Impermanent People is a chance to experiment with the idea that there is no permanent, unchanging self. This Landmark is within the Realm of Enrollment, and is part of the Beacon of Association, more specifically the Lens of Nonself.
Landmark Lookouts:
- Changes in Other People: Can you observe and acknowledge that other people change from year to year, and even more often than that, they are in fact changing every moment?
- The Changing You: Can you see - at least at some level - how "You" (The Self) is a constantly changing concept?
Whenever you're in a group of people, especially if there's a variety of ages...
- Think about who you are in this very moment. Your age, your appearance, your health, your clothing, your hopes, your anxieties. This is "You".
- Look around at all the people. Who are they? What is their age, appearance, health, and everything else?
- Choose a person, whoever you like. Is there anything about them that reminds you of what you used to be like, or what you think you'll be like after some years have passed?
- Think of yourself as a young child. Is that "you" - it couldn't be, they barely resemble anything about you now.
- Think about what you might be like in 10 or 20 or 50 years. What about your older relatives, what are they like? Will you in the future still be the same you of today?
- Think again about who you are in this moment.
- Look around again at all the people. Notice that wherever each of them is going, whatever they're doing, whoever they are Now, that person will be gone forever in 10 years - they would have transformed to their future self.
- And finally, just for a while, realize that each of us is changing each day, each hour, and really each second, and there is no "You" that could last for longer than that.