Inside Yoga 155 (11/1/2016)

David Bowie has died today after an 18-month battle against cancer. This was the news that greeted many of us this morning, and though this is not necessarily about yoga and Buddhism, there is nothing else I can think of today other than to acknowledge the passing of an artist, a legend and an icon.

As a young teenager I became a fan of Bowie in the 1970s and I have remained a fan ever since, through many of his different personae. He was the changing man, the human chameleon, an alien, a star man – whatever he was, he captured the imagination of several generations.

Someone on the radio made a comment this morning – I cannot recall who – but it sums up the shock that surrounds his death: David Bowie appeared to be immortal, this person said, he could not die. Bowie reinvented himself so many times it possibly led to this view that he would go on forever.

Yet, David Bowie’s life has parallels with the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence and death.   One of the first lessons I was taught in Buddhism was that death is the only “definite” we know will happen in our lives.

Another important teaching of the Buddha was that everything is impermanent, and this includes our life – and it is our attachments which causes suffering.

Hence the feelings of grief many now feel, including me, with Bowie’s death, because we feel attached to his life and we are not ready to accept he has gone.

Bowie also encapsulated Buddha’s teachings on change because he transformed himself, reinvented himself and his work so many times. He kept on ripping up and starting again, never afraid to take risks, and he was successful at this. A true artist and a star (man).

RIP David Bowie 1947 – 2016

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