Part 3/9:
These winds are metaphorical “ breezes” that are constantly shifting—fleeting, unstable, and beyond our full control. The Buddha emphasizes that these qualities are impermanent, transient, and perishable, yet our tendency to cling to them causes much suffering.
The Fickleness of External Conditions
Gain and Loss
Society encourages us to pursue gains—money, status, relationships—believing they lead to happiness. From childhood, we strive for education, careers, possessions, and idealized visions of success. Nonetheless, all gains are temporary; what we gain today can be lost tomorrow, often unexpectedly. Clinging to these transient achievements leads to suffering when they inevitably fade or are taken away.