When we see a glass full of water, our immediate identification with it is as "full" and when it is emptied out as "empty". It seems direct and straightforward and black and white. However, if we broaden our perspective, we see that this state of emptiness has a relational aspect. It is empty of water, but full of air. And so the contents of the glass change. It is impermanent, not empty in the sense of just being a void. Shunyata is emptiness in the context of impermanence, not emptiness in nothingness.
Our lives contain this same quality of shunyata. Everything that we experience is empty-- impermanent. All objects, all persons, all situations, all circumstances are impermanent. One easy way to come to terms with this is to think of what it was like 10 years ago. Who were you 10 years ago? What occupied your time 10 years ago? Who did you surround yourself with 10 years ago? How did you make a living 10 years ago? What were your challenges 10 years ago? What were your successes 10 years ago? Notice what among those have changed. Perhaps some, perhaps many, perhaps all have changed from 10 years ago to today. Maybe the intensity of a heartbreak then is but a distant memory now, an attachment to a goal then irrelevant to your values at this moment, an important part of what was once your identity no longer true today. Now imagine what it would be like 10 years later. We can no longer be sure that what is present now will be present then. Does it cause worry or anxiety or fear? Does the unknown terrify us? Accepting that shunyata or emptiness is the nature of all things, we can be more prepared, in that we go through this life flowing from one situation to another, not taking it personally when unexpected things happen and it seems we are not in control. Like the glass that contains water one moment and replaced by air the next, the contents of our lives are continuously changing, dependent on the waves of connections that we may or may not see. And so, why suffer? Embrace all that is good and pleasant today, but let it go when it changes forms. It may also give us comfort that if we are going through difficult times right now, that this too is impermanent. It is ultimately a gift to be surprised, and may our understanding of shunyata help us see the beauty in that.
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