Finding Joy in Impermanence by Carrie Hood
Last summer, I rented a car and drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway, from its beginning in
Virginia, where it is called Skyline Drive, to Ashville, NC. Along the way, I had to exit many times
due to fires and road construction to repair damage, most of which was caused in some fashion
by climate change. I could feel myself being drawn into despair about the state of the earth. As
I was stopped at a smoky but beautiful lookout, I thought to myself – “how dare you?! How
dare you not be joyful on this road trip through beautiful mountains, alone in a car, guzzling
gas?!” I realized that, if I refused to let joy in, at a moment like that, I was allowing my own
mental afflictions to win, thus ruining a long-anticipated trip. So, I turned up John Denver’s
Country Roads and sang along as I joyfully drove through the glory of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Fast forward to almost exactly a year later, and some of that same beautiful landscape has been
washed away in the rain and floodwaters of Hurricane Helene. What a concrete reminder of
the fact of impermanence. We can’t hold on to anyone or anything, as many of us had already
learned during Hurricane Katrina and the myriads of losses, disasters and cataclysms of our
everyday lives. We don’t get to keep anything in this life for very long – and while this concept
depresses some people, I find it to be an impetus to experience joy.
Though I often feel hopeless about the state of the earth and how rapidly we are destroying the
very environment that gives us life, I realize that we need to enjoy whatever happiness we can
find in everyday living EVERY DAY. It does no good for the people who are experiencing the
brunt of climate change, whether they be in Indonesia or Asheville, for me to be and act
forlorn. It will be my turn to face disaster again soon enough. We are doing a disservice to
those who are in real pain by refusing to find joy in the present moment. Thich Naht Hahn says
that the toothache is impermanent, but the absence of the toothache is also impermanent. So,
let’s relish the lack of a toothache in the present!
The teachings found in Master Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life can be a
powerful tool in rebuilding our mindset. In it, he expounds on the six perfections; Generosity,
Ethics, Patience, Joyful Effort, Concentration and Wisdom. Though they are taught in that
order, I have always thought that Joyful Effort should be listed first, because it sets the
foundation to practice the others with greater ease.
Joyful Effort means to feel enthusiastic about these wholesome pursuits. My teacher, Lama
Marut, used to bring up the image of children on a playground. We don’t ask them why they
slide or ride the merry-go-round. Who can explain the simple joy of play? The concept of
Joyful Effort asks us, as mindful adults, to bring that same sense of play into everything we do –
be it sitting in a meeting at work or feeding disaster victims.
Impediments to joyful effort can come from laziness, feeling inadequate, or from being
distracted by worldly activities like being on our phones, watching TV, socializing, and so on.
Without Joy, our efforts in spiritual pursuits – or for that matter, any pursuits in our life – can be
just a drag to take on. How many times have we set a goal to meditate, but, finding no joy in it,
we end up giving up on it? OR, we set a goal to do it and end up with a rigid adherence to a
schedule that ultimately can’t bear fruit because we’ve made it so unpleasant. Combining the
knowledge that everything in our lives, including life itself, is impermanent, with our practice of
joyful effort, we find a recipe for tapping into joy. Perhaps we are all ultimately doomed, but
we’re here NOW and we can try to be content with what we have and where we are.
Contentment is a gateway to joy. Knowing life’s ephemeral nature, how can we not find joy
watching pelicans frolic in Lake Pontchartrain or the sight of a beautiful sunset or holding a
newborn baby?
Yoga Sutra 2.16 states: HEYAM DUHKHAM ANĀGATAM – Future suffering can be avoided. This
is a bumper sticker-worthy phrase of practical wisdom for daily living. It calls us to be fully
present in every moment because the present moment has interbeing with the past and with
the future. The future is made only of the present, and the present is made up of the past. Just
as the past has brought us to this moment, our response to the present will bring us to this
moment’s appropriate future. The kernel of corn already contains the corn plant, but it
depends on causes and conditions to grow.
This speaks directly to the phenomenon of impermanence and the changeability of our lives
and relationships. How we think, speak, and act today has a very definite impact on what we
will encounter or perceive in the future. As Lama Marut also used to say – This is it! All the
lights are green for us. We’ve got the leisure and fortune to pursue a spiritual life and find real
joy. If not us, who? If not now, at this moment in the absence of a toothache or fill-in-the-
blank-suffering, when? If we’re waiting for the conditions to be perfect in order to be joyful,
we are doomed to….doom.
The thing about joy is that it often requires a conscious decision. My mother used to tell me
that I will be just about as happy as I decide to be. Worldly wisdom somewhat wasted on a
pouting, entitled 11-year-old, but maybe not completely lost. If I take a little inventory at any
given moment, I usually have everything I need, and if I don’t have a migraine, it’s a bonus. I
can choose joy! I can turn off the TV, stop doom scrolling on Instagram and go outside to take a
walk in my beautiful albeit deeply flawed city.
As Lama Marut and my dear mother both said: Joy isn’t the destination, it’s the path.
On the mat:
The Svadhisthana or sacral chakra, located just below the belly button and above the pelvic
floor, is associated with joy, creativity, passion and emotional balance. Practicing specific yoga
poses, such as hip-openers and those that engage the core can help balance this energy center
and help to enhance these qualities.
Some ideas might include poses on the floor, such as Bound Angle, variations of Pigeon pose,
Bow pose, and Cobra. Standing poses such as Side Angle and Peaceful Warrior, or even a
playful flow between these two, can help to circulate energy throughout the body and in this
area in particular. All movement linked with breath helps with this circulating of energy, so it’s
a great time for sun salutations. lnvite students to play!
Quotes:
In order to survive these times and stay human, we will have to walk with one hand holding the
grief of watching the dying world and another hand holding the light so we can find our way
towards the new world which is being born – Laura Matsue
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of
your joy. —Thich Nhat Hanh
We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need
the earth we share. – Maya Angelou
Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into this world from
deep within you. —Eckhart Tolle
Fake it til you make it – Lama Marut