The bestselling author of Mindfulness in Plain English guides the reader toward a direct and personal realization of one of the foundational tenets of Buddhism: all things that arise must pass away.

In Impermanence in Plain English, the beloved author and teacher Bhante Gunaratana, alongside Julia Harris, clearly and masterfully explains the key Buddhist insight of impermanence and invites the reader to personally investigate its truth.

Once-youthful bodies grow old and weary. New thoughts, feelings, and sensations arise and fade every second. Impermanence is not some abstract, metaphysical idea. This is the Dhamma, and you can see it for yourself.

Drawing from Pali scriptures and writing with fresh, direct language, Bhante Gunaratana and Julia Harris highlight the Buddha's exhortation that we must directly realize for ourselves the liberating insights that free us from suffering and cyclic existence, without relying only on the word of religious authorities or academic or philosophical musings.

Impermanence in Plain English, Henepola Gunara and Julia Harris, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 139 pages, $17.95

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of 12. He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from The American University, and has taught courses in Buddhism at several American colleges. He lectures and leads meditation retreats throughout North America, Europe, and Australasia. He is the abbot of the Bhavana Society monastery in West Virginia.

Julia Harris lives and meditates in Colorado, though her mind still roams far beyond the mountains of her home. If even one reader relaxes the ties of ego and conceptual elaboration by reading this book, her heart will rejoice.