04impermanence theravada buddhism somaratena

8/12/2019 04Impermanence Theravada Buddhism Somaratena

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Lesson Unit 4: ImpermanenceLearning Outcomes:At the completion of the lesson, the students will be able to

Explain impermanence, suffering, and non-self as the three characteristics of existence Explain impermanence as a positive concept that gives up opportunity to start life anew Explain the reality of life with reference to the original sources Quote from the discourses in defining impermanence

Student Activities: Read each of the Readings carefully and underline/ highlight the key words and

concepts in each reading !raw a mind-map around the main topic linking the key words and concepts that you

underlined or highlighted in the readings showing their relationship to the main topicand also to each other

Read the given original sources to be familiar with the texts"or your #ournal entries, write detailed accounts on the following$ three characteristics ofexistence,aniccat% &impermanency', niccat% &permanency'

Reading ($ )he )hree *arks(tilakkhana))he formula of the three marks is found in many places +t runs$

All compounded things &sankhras' are impermanent All compounded things &sankhras' are unsatisfactory

All dhammas &all things including the unconditioned' are without self

)he first and second of these marks apply to all mundane things, everything that exists(sankhra in its widest sense' )he third refers in addition to the unconditioned element &a-sankhata, that is, not a sankhra, thus .ibb%na' )his does not exist &relatively', but +

)hus, nothing lasts for ever, all things being sub#ect to change and disappearance .othing iscompletely satisfactory$dukkha, conventionally rendered suffering , has the wide meaning of notsatisfying, frustrating, painful in whatever degree Even pleasant things come to an end or ceaseto attract, and the painful aspect of life is too well-known and ubi0uitous to need discussion

)he first two marks can perhaps be appreciated without too much effort, even though theirprofound penetration is more difficult +t is the third mark that has provoked much controversyand misunderstanding

An-att &an-tman' is the negative ofatt/tman self o much is clear +n ordinary usage att% is apronoun used for all persons and genders, singular and plural, meaning, myself , herself ,

ourselves , themselves , etc +t has no metaphysical implications whatsoever )his, then, is theself of daily life, which has a purely relative and conventional reality if only because it is analmost indispensable expression in everyday speech As a noun,att to the 1uddhist means animaginary entity, a so-called self , which is not really there )he fivekhandhas or aggregates, thevarious parts that make up our empirical personality, do not constitute a self, either individuallyor collectively 2ur so called self , then, is something bogus +t is, however, a concept that wecling to with great tenacity

Any theory that the 1uddha taught such a doctrine as the 3panishadic 4igher elf can only besaid to fly in the face of evidence )his is borne out by the third mark$ all dhammas are without

5rof 6 A omaratena, 78((, +nternational 1uddhist 9ollege E-:earning 9enter (


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self )he term dhamma here includes .ibb%na, the 1uddhist ultimate )hus this is expresslystated not to be any kind of 4igher elf )here are those who believe that what the 1uddhataught and what the 3panishads taught must agree 1e that as it may at some deeper level, theexpression is certainly different +t is arguable that the 1uddha considered the term self , whichto him was something evanescent, to be ludicrously inappropriate to the supreme reality,

whatever its nature )o pursue such arguments as this any further is surely fruitlessReading 7$ 9hange *akes 3s .ew

)hree 9haracteristics of the ;dependently arisen< phenomena &Paticcasamuppann Dhamm' areanicca= impermanence,dukkha = suffering, andanatta = no-self Anicca means impermanent,change, andaniccat means impermanency +n the texts, the character ofanicca is pointed out ina variety of terms$uppda/ udaya = arising,vaya - passing away,hitassa aathatta = change ofwhat has been, andviparinma-dhamma = sub#ect to change >hat is born is sure to perish "luxof becoming is like a moving stream = ;?ou cannot step twice into the same riverhen understoodproperly, in the world there are only actions and no static things 2nly the action verbs canconvey the reality, not the nouns

)he opposite word ofanicca is nicca which means permanent, stable, eternal, not sub#ect tochange As understood by 1r%hma@ism, %tman, the individual soul and 1rahman, the universalsoul are two such permanent things 6od is considered by the western religions to bepermanent +t is said that ;long ago, 6od created the world within six days and on the seventhday 4e took a rest < 9aste system in +ndia is given as a permanent system )he status to whichyou are born cannot be changed ;1orn 1uddhists< is another such concept

)hat there is no 5ermanent entity, event, or situation is the 1uddhist concept )he 1uddha tooka little bit of soil in his fingernail and said$ ;)here is not even this much form that is permanent hile onthis long voyage, you wandered aimlessly from birth to birth, and you groaned and you weptbecause you had a share in what you hated and you did not have a share in what you liked)here have flowed there have been shed by you more tears than there is water in the four greatoceans < & ++, (D8'

Aging and !eath meansanicca uppose four huge rocks were to come rolling in towards aperson while crushing everything on their way, what could he doC ing 5asenadi confesses$ ;+fsuch a great peril should arise, such a terrible destruction of human life, the human state beingso difficult to obtain, what else should be done but to live by the !hamma to live righteouslyand to do wholesome and meritorious deeds < 1uddha informs$ ;+ inform you, great king, +announce to you$ aging and death are rolling in on you < ; hort is the life span of humanbeings < ;)he days and nights go flying by :ife comes to stop < ;)ime flies by, the nights swiftly

5rof 6 A omaratena, 78((, +nternational 1uddhist 9ollege E-:earning 9enter 7


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pass, the stages of life successively desert us, seeing clearly this danger in death, one should dodeeds of merit that brings happiness/ a seeker of peace should drop the world s bait ord I icca - permanent, stable, eternal, not sub#ect to change

Atman = +ndividual oul1rahman = 3niversal oul6od = ;:ong ago, 6od created the world within six days and on the seventh day 4e

took a rest hat eightC 6ain and loss, fame and disrepute, praiseand blame, pleasure and pain

)hese eight worldly conditions, monks, are encountered by an uninstructed worldling, and theyare also encountered by an instructed noble disciple >hat now is the distinction, the disparity,the difference between an instructed noble disciple and an uninstructed worldlingC< M

;>hen an uninstructed worldling, monks, comes upon gain, he does not reflect on it thus$ )hisgain that has come to me is impermanent, bound up with suffering, sub#ect to change 4e doesnot know it as it really is And when he comes upon loss, fame and disrepute, praise and blame,he does not reflect on them thus$ All these are impermanent, bound up with suffering, sub#ectto change 4e does not know them as they really are >ith such a person, gain and loss, fameand disrepute, praise and blame, pleasure and pain keep his mind engrossed >hen gain comeshe is elated and when he meets with loss he is de#ected >hen fame comes he is elated andwhen he meets with disrepute he is de#ected >hen praise comes he is elated and when hemeets with blame he is de#ected >hen he experiences pleasure he is elated and when heexperiences pain he is de#ected 1eing thus involved in likes and dislikes, he will not be freedfrom birth, aging, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, de#ection, and despair he will notbe freed from suffering, + say

>hen an instructed noble disciple comes upon gain, he reflects on it thus$ )his gain that hascome to me is impermanent, bound up with suffering, sub#ect to change And so he will reflectwhen loss and so forth come upon him 4e understands all these things as they really are, andthey do not engross his mind )hus he will not be elated by gain and de#ected by loss elated byfame and de#ected by disrepute elated by praise and de#ected by blame elated by pleasure andde#ected by pain 4aving thus given up likes and dislikes, he will be freed from birth, aging, anddeath, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, de#ection, and despair he will be freed from suffering, +say &A. +L, (KO-F'

5rof 6 A omaratena, 78((, +nternational 1uddhist 9ollege E-:earning 9enter N


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Li e is Short and ."eeting;:ong ago, 2 monks, there lived a religious teacher named Araka, who was free of sensual lust4e had many hundreds of disciples, and this was the doctrine he taught to them$

; hort is the life of human beings, 2 1rahmins, limited and brief it is full of suffering, full of

tribulation )his one should wisely understand 2ne should do good and live a pure life for nonewho is born can escape death

;Pust as a dew drop on the tip of a blade of grass will 0uickly vanish at sunrise and will not lastlong even so, 1rahmins, is human life like a dew drop +t is short, limited, and brief it is full ofsuffering, full of tribulation )his one should wisely understand 2ne should do good and live apure life for none who is born can escape death

;Pust as, when rain falls from the sky in thick drops, a bubble appearing on the water will 0uicklyvanish and will not last long even so, 1rahmins, is human life like a water bubble +t is short Mfor none who is born can escape death

;Pust as a line drawn on water with a stick will 0uickly vanish and will not last long even so,1rahmins, is human life like a line drawn on water +t is short M for none who is born canescape death

;Pust as a mountain stream, coming from afar, swiftly flowing, carrying along much flotsam, willnot stand still for a moment, an instant, a second, but will rush on, swirl and flow forward evenso, 1rahmins, is human life like a mountain stream +t is short M for none who is born canescape death

;Pust as a strong man might form a lump of spittle at the tip of his tongue and spit it out withease even so, 1rahmins, is human life like a lump of spittle +t is short M for none who is borncan escape death

;Pust as a piece of meat thrown into an iron pan heated all day will 0uickly burn up and will notlast long even so, 1rahmins, human life like this piece of meat +t is short M for none who isborn can escape death

;Pust as, when a cow to be slaughtered is led to the shambles, whenever she lifts a leg she willbe closer to slaughter, closer to death even so, 1rahmins, is human life like cattle doomed toslaughter it is short, limited, and brief +t is full of suffering, full of tribulation )his one shouldwisely understand 2ne should do good and live a pure life for none who is born can escapedeath

;1ut at that time, 2 monks, the human lifespan was N8,888 years, and at K88 years girls wereready for marriage +n those days people had but six afflictions$ cold, heat, hunger, thirst,

excrement, and urine )hough people lived so long and had so few afflictions, that teacher Arakagave to his disciples such a teaching$ hort is the life of human beings M

;1ut nowadays, 2 monks, one could rightly say, hort is the life of human beings M for todayone who lives long lives for a hundred years or a little more And when living for a hundredyears, it is #ust for three hundred seasons$ a hundred winters, a hundred summers, and ahundred rains >hen living for three hundred seasons, it is #ust for twelve hundred months$ fourhundred winter months, four hundred summer months, and four hundred months of the rains>hen living for twelve hundred months, it is #ust for twenty-four hundred fortnights$ eighthundred fortnights of winter, eight hundred of summer, and eight hundred of the rains

;And when living for twenty-four hundred fortnights, it is #ust for GN,888 days$ (7,888 days ofwinter, (7,888 of summer, and (7,888 of the rains And when living for GN,888 days, he eats #ust

5rof 6 A omaratena, 78((, +nternational 1uddhist 9ollege E-:earning 9enter O


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O7,888 meals$ 7J,888 meals in winter, 7J,888 in summer, and 7J,888 in the rains And thisincludes the taking of mother s milk and the times without food )hese are the times withoutfood$ when agitated or grieved or sick, when observing a fast, or when not obtaining anythingto eat

;)hus, 2 monks, + have reckoned the life of a centenarian$ the limit of his lifespan, the number ofseasons, years, months, and fortnights, of days and nights, of his meals and foodless times

;>hatever should be done by a compassionate teacher who, out of compassion, seeks thewelfare of his disciples, that + have done for you )hese are the roots of trees, 2 monks, these areempty huts *editate, monks, do not be negligent, or else you will regret it later )his is ourinstruction to you < &A. +L, (GN-F'

5rof 6 A omaratena, 78((, +nternational 1uddhist 9ollege E-:earning 9enter D

04impermanence theravada buddhism somaratena

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