This is Lesson 29 from A Comprehensive Commentary on the Words of My Perfect Teacher, covering the second meditation on the impermanence of beings — establishing that without exception, no living being in any of the six realms escapes death. The lesson contrasts the superficial worldly awareness of impermanence with the deep, transformative conviction that the Dharma cultivates, warning that fleeting recognition — like sunlight breaking through clouds — quickly vanishes unless consistently reinforced through study and practice. The teacher emphasises not only the certainty of death but its radical uncertainty of timing: we cannot assert with any logic that we will not die between this breath and the next. Vivid illustrations follow — the dying wealthy woman who could take nothing with her; the cancer patient who calmly returned to his monastery; billionaires spending fortunes on transplants yet unable to buy a single extra moment when life has run out. The lesson closes with a sustained call to diligence, warning that laziness — the direct consequence of weak impermanence practice — is the single greatest obstacle on the path, and that genuine practice must become self-motivated rather than dependent on external pressure from teachers or fellow students.
Practice Guide
To practice the meditation related to this teaching, please refer to:
