THREE - The characteristics of existence

We are often encouraged "to see things the way they are" or (perhaps, more urgently) "as they really are". OK... so how are they?

On one level, this might direct us to examine the circumstances in which we find ourselves at any given moment - and there are a lot of circumstances! Are we aware of each and every one of them? Can we identify them all correctly? How certain can we be that something "is the case"? What do our neighbors think? Does the disdainful cynic have a special insight that has somehow eluded the finest minds in history?

On a more fundamental level, we might inquire instead about the universal character of experience in general. What is it about experience itself that is common to all beings? Which of its characteristics might be specifically relevant to the Buddhist path? In other words, what is it about "the way things are" that we need to understand clearly in order to progress on the path? The Buddha tells us that existence itself (including personal experience) is characterized by

• Anicca (impermanence or change)
• Dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness)
• Anatta (non-self or insubstantiality)

The essence of this teaching is captured in verses 277-279, Chapter 20 (The Path), of the Dhammapada [1]:
277. "All conditioned things are impermanent".
When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
278. "All conditioned things are unsatisfactory".
When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
279. "All phenomena are not-self".
When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.

An interesting point here is the contrast between "conditioned things" and "phenomena". The term "conditioned things" refers to phenomena which result from causes or are somehow assembled or compounded. Their basic nature is to arise, linger for a while, and then pass away. Examples include emotions, items in a supermarket, and animals. These phenomena can last for any amount of time, but their changing nature means that they cannot provide us with lasting satisfaction. Indeed, the more we look, the more we see change, and the more we see change, the more we see the associated unsatisfactoriness.

But what about the characteristic of non-self? The quality of non-self also applies to "all conditioned things", but the word "phenomena" is used here instead to include the experience of full awakening or liberation, i.e. Nibbana, which is often referred to as the "unconditioned" or "deathless". The idea of non-self is famously presented in the debate between King Milinda and the monk Nagasena [2], and succinctly captured in the Vajira Sutta [3]. In short, Nagasena observes that, just as the entity labelled "chariot" is neither its parts (axle, wheel, rein, etc) nor anything aside of its parts and is thus nowhere to be found, there is no permanent individual by the name of "Nagasena" to be found either. As we begin to notice the pervasiveness of impermanence and unsatisfactoriness, we begin also to notice the pervasiveness of non-self in the fluidity of experience, in other words, in the arising and passing of the khandas.

[1] See, for example, "Maggavagga: The Path" (Dhp XX), translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.20.budd.html.

[2] The Soul, p 32 Ch 1, in "The Debate of King Milinda", edited by Bhikkhu Pesala, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., 2001.

[3] "Vajira Sutta: Vajira" (SN 5.10), translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 13 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.010.bodh.html.