During this weekend of practice and reflection our key themes will be impermanence and attachment. Reflecting on impermanence, enables us to recognise how fortunate we are in this moment and to use our time well, while we have the opportunity. Given, that time is short, how will we use the time we have, to live well? It enables us to come to terms with and accept the facts of sickness, old age, and death, which will happen to us and to our loved ones. As we age, we will lose much that we take for granted and when we finally die we will lose everything. Therefore, being attached to what we have and take for granted now, health, relationships, material possessions, will cause suffering in the long run. We will explore how we can fully enjoy what we have now, without attachment.
Eternity by William Blake
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.
We will also have the opportunity to share in making practical preparations for our own death, addressing legal issues, how we want to be cared for by family and health professionals, and what we want to happen around us as we go through the stages of dying.
