The Five Remembrances – Wise Reaching Outs

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei – ZCNYC – 8/9/26 – The Buddha said that all conditioned things—all things that begin to exist at a particular time—are impermanent, and will eventually decay and disappear. Aging is normal. Illness is normal. Death is normal. Yes, I will be separated from what I hold near and dear. My only real possessions are my actions. This is normal for everyone, no matter where we are. Is Buddhism, then, pessimistic—negative for bringing these facts to our attention? No. Hojin Sensei elucidates the difference between destructive pessimism and the wise acceptance of impermanence, quoting Rebecca Solnit, who offers this insight: “Pessimism is like a sinking ship. Even when we are faced with the possibility of hope and action, we dismiss hope as, ‘These people are naive. I know what’s going to happen. I know the real deal. This is gonna sink.’” She says, “It’s kind of like not even being able to see lifeboats that are bobbing all around us.” To see impermanence clearly is not to give up hope. It is to open ourselves to creation.