David Nichtern and Michael Kammers dive into a discussion on existence, perception, and temporality.

Actually, You Don’t Exist

David Nichtern and Michael Kammers launch off by responding to a submitted question—how can we define existing? A popular quote by Chögyam Trungpa is “actually, you don’t exist”. Grappling with this concept is difficult. David and Michael discuss parameters we can look to in order to understand existence such as appearance, time, identity, perception and relativity. 

“Impermanence definitely seems to be real in what appears to be this ever-shifting presence that is our portal of experience.”

 

Taking Ourselves too Seriously (8:38)

Humans cling to opinions and fixed ideas. They panic about mortality. We should take ourselves less seriously because the phenomena of existence is always changing. This discussion is not about using metaphysics as a tool for understanding what it means to exist, it is about seeing the relationship between perception and temporality. We can limit our suffering by becoming aware of the fact that existence is fluid.

“We have locked and loaded onto a temporal phenomena as if it was permanent and because of that we suffer.”

A Sigh of Relief (16:43)

It may sound strange to find relief in non-existence. However, the idea allows us to be somewhat unattached. The drama of living can die down a little bit. Realizing this phenomenon of existence can create a sense of calm and spaciousness. When perceived with right view, Impermanence is a very soothing concept.