Today I moved. I had sold my house before we went to China. When we returned, I packed up and moved to a new place. The process of selling, finding a new house, packing, moving and unpacking can be very stressful. But it is also very liberating.
This is change. Things are moving. Things are changing.
The Chinese call this “Bian Hua” which literally means “things are changing” Change, the Yi Principle, is the third major component of Chinese Yin Yang Philosophy. Change is the dynamic principle that governs this world.
Change is also something many people fear and resist. In Tibetan Buddhism, the concept of the Bardo exemplifies the nature of change. Even being born into this life is a major change. We are born, we die, we grow up, get married, get divorced, have children, find jobs, lose jobs, buy houses, sell houses, and we move.
Some of these life events are inevitable, some are just very common. Mostly we perceive them as sources of great stress. But when we accept that change is inevitable – life is a process of change through the mutual interplay of Yin and Yang – we realize change opens the very doors to new opportunities.
Moving is a chance to start something new. You throw out those things that no longer serve you – broken dishes, mismatched containers, piles of paper to recycle, old furniture.
You reconnect with things that you had forgotten – good books, friends as you update your address. You have new possibilities on the horizon.
It is also a chance to look inward and throw out the old garbage you don’t need to carry around.
Dump the physical garbage and you make more room to stretch out in your new place.
Dump the internal garbage and you make room for personal growth and new possibilities.
You don’t need to sell your house to do this. Simple take a moment and make a change in your life. Even a small one can pay great dividends.
