“Every thought or feeling you’ve ever had, good or bad, 

has arisen and then passed away.” 

Sam Harris, The Waking Up App

You love feeling good right?

It’s logical and natural, when something feels good you want it to stay and when something feels bad you want it to go away. 

But therein lies a problem.

Clinging to good feelings or resisting not good feelings causes a layer of suffering. 

The Buddha said ‘life is suffering’ , and he was referring to our human tendency to cling or resist. 

The antidote to this is acceptance or non-resistance. 

A wonderful mantra to help us accept and not resist the moment in front of us is, 

“This too shall pass”.

“This too shall pass” is a truism.

We know that our inner and outer worlds are constantly changing, but we seem to get deluded into a sense of certainty or permanence. 

Repeating the mantra, “This too shall pass” acts as a gentle reminder. 

In good times - “This too shall pass” , helps us realise that clinging is fruitless and allows us to relax into being fully present and appreciating the goodness we’re experiencing.

When we don’t feel good - “This too shall pass” , helps us to ease up on our resistance, because we know the current darkness or despair we’re experiencing won’t permanently consume us.

Acceptance and non-resistance are not states that happen instantly, but we can grow them within us - using the mantra, “This too shall pass” is a great place to start.

I made you a phone background to help you find more peaceful moments, and more moments of appreciation this week, as you remember "This too shall pass".

Open this webpage on your phone - click the image below to download the image, save it as your phone wallpaper or lockscreen image.