According to Tibetan Buddhists:

Impermanence means one of the essential doctrines or three marks of existence in Buddhism. The term expresses the Buddhist notion that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is transient, or in a state of flux. 

Or in unpolished words, nothing lasts forever.

I recently had the opportunity to meet a group of Tibetan Monks traveling through South Florida. I spent the evening at a local restaurant where they were the featured guests of honor; however to be in their company, the honor was all mine!

They spoke about the traditions of their culture. I listened in amazement as they shared fascinating stories about the simplicity of their lifestyle. Known for their acts of selflessness and the focus of spiritual attainment, Buddhists eliminate materialism. Keeping possessions to a bare minimum represents the practice of Outer-Decluttering. When Monks practice Outer-Decluttering they can more easily study the actionable habit of deep mediation for the sake of attaining enlightenment to reach their full potential in order to help others in need. This is often called Inner-Decluttering.

I chatted in depth with one young monk named, Tsultrim (pronounced SHIM) who told me he joined the monastery when he was only eight years old because he knew it was his chosen path. Although Tsultrim was adhering to the standard Tibetan dress code by wearing a typical conservative robe, his personality underneath the cloth was anything but typical. He was fun, outgoing and extremely approachable. His command of the English language was very impressive and more so was his sense of humor! He happily posed for an unpolished picture and was excited to see it pop up on my Instagram! I certainly got a kick out the unpolished irony between Tsultrim’s minimalistic existence and learning he used his iPhone 6 to accept my friend request on Facebook! Hmmmmmmmm. 

At the end of the evening, the Tibetan Monks performed three ritualistic prayers. A blessing to clean the mind for good energies. A blessing to rid any lingering bad energies. And a blessing for future happiness and the positive energies for a long life. I’ve never seen anything quite like this; it was wild! Below is a short clip…. I’m hoping by watching it over and over, maybe we can all catch some healing vibes!

JUST TO LET YOU KNOW…. Last night I inadvertently deleted over one thousand emails from my inbox. Instead of going into a complete state of unpolished panic, I tried to remember the lessons learned from the Tibetan Monks! Perhaps ridding myself of old emails was not inadvertent after all. Maybe the purge was really a reminder of the impermanence of life. Maybe the universe was telling me l was in desperate need of an actionable habit of Outer-Decluttering!!!!