Making Sense of Change: The River | Advaita Vedanta
“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.” Hermann Hesse
They say that the only constant is change. The river is not here nor there, but everywhere simultaneously, connected as one constant, ever-shifting flow. Likewise, the world of appearances rushes its rocky journey downstream, unified by its winding path. It's in our nature to cling, to grasp for the unchanging. As the scenery transforms, we tirelessly swim against the current, back to what we know. It feels much safer than surrendering to the flood of change. The reality is, however, that we can never go back.
Embracing change is no easy task, but according to the Advaita Vedanta (non-duality) tradition, it can allow us to discover the unchanging self within. From this vantage point, we can better accept and experience all change as a journey of the mighty river. They believe that change, itself, is part of the illusory nature of reality: There aren't any appearances at all; there only appears to be appearances. Their argument goes like this:
The self observes (apparent) changes. (Ex: I watch the sun set)
Either there is a self that changes along with apparent change, or there is a self that remains the same through apparent change. (Do we change over time the same way the earth rotates, causing a sunset?)
If the self changed along with apparent change, then it could not be aware that anything had changed. (Change can't be measured without a fixed point of relativity)
Therefore, there must be a changeless self. (A self within, that is detached from change, and is instead experiencing it)
Therefore, in any instance of apparent change, the change is only apparent. What is real is the unchanging self that is aware of the apparent change. That is the ultimate reality: "Brahman." (Change is merely an illusion of passing scenery on the journey of the immutable)
Following this line of thinking with what we have learned about Alan Watts' music analogy, embracing change requires us to recognize the central self around which the appearance of change is unfolding. The river does not change, its the flow within that keeps it whole. This ever-active, creative process is known as Lila: the music of God. The world of appearances is the stage of this divine performance: "Brahman's Lila."
The truth is, life is full of love and loss. All moments carry forward the rush of transformation. We can't hold onto anything without it hurting us as it inevitably slips away. Swimming against the current is useless, so the only choice left is to jump in and take the journey. Might as well learn to appreciate the scenery along the way.
"The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." Alan Watts
