THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
The 3 primary characteristics
of experience:
suffering • impermanence • not-self
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
1. There is suffering
2. It has a cause
3. It has an end
4. There is a path leading to its end
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
Suffering arises from a causal chain of
conditioned processes—starting with
ignorance of the nature of reality
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
AVIJJĀ
ignorance
“And what is ignorance? Not knowing stress, not knowing the origination of stress, not knowing the cessation of stress, not knowing the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: This is called ignorance.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “Now, when a disciple of the noble ones discerns stress, the origination of stress, the cessation of stress, and the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress in this way, when — having entirely abandoned passion-obsession, having abolished aversion-obsession, having uprooted the view and conceit obsession ‘I am’; having abandoned ignorance and given rise to clear knowing — he has put an end to suffering and stress right in the here and now, it is to this extent, too, that a disciple of the noble ones is a person of right view... who has arrived at this true Dhamma... [and] when a disciple of the noble ones discerns ignorance, the origination of ignorance, the cessation of ignorance, and the way of practice leading to the cessation of ignorance in this way, when — having entirely abandoned passion-obsession, having abolished aversion-obsession, having uprooted the view and conceit obsession ‘I am’; having abandoned ignorance and given rise to clear knowing — he has put an end to suffering and stress right in the here and now, it is to this extent, too, that a disciple of the noble ones is a person of right view... who has arrived at this true Dhamma.” — Sammaditthi Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
SAṄKHĀRA
volition
“And what, bhikkhus, are the volitional formations? There are these three kinds of volitional formations: the bodily volitional formation, the verbal volitional formation, the mental volitional formation. These are called the volitional formations.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “if a person immersed in ignorance generates a meritorious volitional formation, consciousness fares on to the meritorious; if he generates a demeritorious volitional formation, consciousness fares on to the demeritorious; if he generates an imperturbable volitional formation, consciousness fares on to the imperturbable. But when a bhikkhu has abandoned ignorance and aroused true knowledge, then, with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of true knowledge, he does not generate a meritorious volitional formation, or a demeritorious volitional formation, or an imperturbable volitional formation. Since he does not generate or fashion volitional formations, he does not cling to anything in the world. Not clinging, he is not agitated. Not being agitated, he personally attains Nibbāna” — Parivīmaṁsana Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
VIÑÑĀṆA
consciousness
“And what is consciousness? These six are classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, intellect-consciousness. This is called consciousness.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “The form element, householder, is the home of consciousness; one whose consciousness is shackled by lust for the form element is called one who roams about in a home. The feeling element is the home of consciousness … The perception element is the home of consciousness … The volitional formations element is the home of consciousness; one whose consciousness is shackled by lust for the volitional formations element is called one who roams about in a home. It is in such a way that one roams about in a home.” — Haliddakani Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
NĀMARŪPA
name/form
“And what is name and form? Feeling, perception, intention, contact, attention: This is called name. The four great elements, and the form dependent on the four great elements: This is called form. This name and this form are called name and form.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “Name-and-form...is not created by oneself, nor is it created by another, nor is it created both by oneself and by another, nor has it arisen fortuitously, being created neither by oneself nor by another; but rather, with consciousness as condition, name-and-form comes to be....It is as if two sheaves of reeds were to stand leaning against one another. In the same way, from name and form as a requisite condition comes consciousness, from consciousness as a requisite condition comes name and form.” — Nalakalapiyo Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
SAḶĀYATANA
six sense bases
“And what are the six sense media? These six are sense media: the eye-medium, the ear-medium, the nose-medium, the tongue-medium, the body-medium, the intellect-medium. These are called the six sense media.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “[In the blink of an eye the agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to forms cognizable by the eye. “Just as a strong man might easily snap his fingers, that is how quickly...no matter what it refers to...[agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to sounds cognizable by the ear. “Just as drops of water roll off a gently sloping lotus leaf and do not remain there, that is how quickly...no matter what it refers to...[agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to aromas cognizable by the nose. “Just as a strong man might easily spit out a ball of saliva gathered on the tip of his tongue, that is how quickly...no matter what it refers to...[agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to flavors cognizable by the tongue. “Just as a strong man might easily extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, that is how quickly...no matter what it refers to...[agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to sensations cognizable by the body. “Just as a strong man might let two or three drops of water fall onto an iron pan heated all day: Slow would be the falling of the drops of water, but they quickly would vanish and disappear. That is how quickly...no matter what it refers to...[agreeability of a thing] ceases, and equanimity takes its stance. [This is] the discipline of a [contemplative], this is called the unexcelled development of the faculties with regard to ideas cognizable by the intellect.” — Indriya-bhavana Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
PHASSA
contact
“And what is contact? These six are classes of contact: eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, intellect-contact. This is called contact.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “Dependent on eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as a requisite condition, there is feeling. What one feels, one perceives (labels in the mind). What one perceives, one thinks about. What one thinks about, one objectifies. Based on what a person objectifies, the perceptions and categories of objectification assail him/her with regard to past, present, and future forms cognizable via the eye. “Dependent on ear and sounds, ear-consciousness arises... “Dependent on nose and aromas, nose-consciousness arises... “Dependent on tongue and flavors, tongue-consciousness arises... “Dependent on body and tactile sensations, body-consciousness arises... “Dependent on intellect and ideas, intellect-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as a requisite condition, there is feeling. What one feels, one perceives (labels in the mind). What one perceives, one thinks about. What one thinks about, one objectifies. Based on what a person objectifies, the perceptions and categories of objectification assail him/her with regard to past, present, and future ideas cognizable via the intellect” — Madhupindika Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
VEDANĀ
feeling
“And what is feeling? These six are classes of feeling: feeling born from eye-contact, feeling born from ear-contact, feeling born from nose-contact, feeling born from tongue-contact, feeling born from body-contact, feeling born from intellect-contact. This is called feeling.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “When touched with a feeling of pain, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person sorrows, grieves, and laments, beats his breast, becomes distraught. So he feels two pains, physical and mental. Just as if they were to shoot a man with an arrow and, right afterward, were to shoot him with another one, so that he would feel the pains of two arrows; in the same way, when touched with a feeling of pain, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person sorrows, grieves, and laments, beats his breast, becomes distraught. So he feels two pains, physical and mental. “As he is touched by that painful feeling, he is resistant. Any resistance-obsession with regard to that painful feeling obsesses him. Touched by that painful feeling, he delights in sensual pleasure. Why is that? Because the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person does not discern any escape from painful feeling aside from sensual pleasure. As he is delighting in sensual pleasure, any passion-obsession with regard to that feeling of pleasure obsesses him. He does not discern, as it actually is present, the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, or escape from that feeling. As he does not discern the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, or escape from that feeling, then any ignorance-obsession with regard to that feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain obsesses him.” — Sallatha Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
TAṆHĀ
craving
“And what is craving? These six are classes of craving: craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for smells, craving for tastes, craving for tactile sensations, craving for ideas. This is called craving.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “When one abides uninflamed by lust, unfettered, uninfatuated, contemplating danger, then the five aggregates affected by clinging are diminished for oneself in the future; and one’s craving—which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this or that—is abandoned. One’s bodily and mental troubles...torments...[and] fevers are abandoned, and one experiences bodily and mental pleasure.” — Mahāsaḷāyatanika Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
UPĀDĀNA
clinging
“And what is clinging/sustenance? These four are clingings: sensuality clinging, view clinging, precept and practice clinging, and doctrine of self clinging. This is called clinging.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “Now, in one who keeps focusing on the drawbacks of clingable phenomena, craving ceases. From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance. From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming. From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth. From the cessation of birth, then aging, illness and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair all cease. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering and stress. “Just as if a great mass of fire of ten... twenty... thirty or forty cartloads of timber were burning, into which a man simply would not time and again throw dried grass, dried cow dung, or dried timber, so that the great mass of fire — its original sustenance being consumed, and no other being offered — would, without nutriment, go out. In the same way, in one who keeps focusing on the drawbacks of clingable phenomena, craving ceases. From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance. From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming. From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth. From the cessation of birth, then aging, illness and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair all cease. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering and stress.” — Upadana Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
BHAVA
becoming
“And what is becoming? These three are becomings: sensual becoming, form becoming, and formless becoming. This is called becoming.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “This world...is for the most part shackled by engagement, clinging, and adherence. But...one with right view does not become engaged and cling through that engagement and clinging, mental standpoint, adherence, underlying tendency; he does not take a stand about ‘my self.’ He has no perplexity or doubt that what arises is only suffering arising, what ceases is only suffering ceasing. His knowledge about this is independent of others. It is in this way...that there is right view.” — Kaccānagotta Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
JĀTI
birth
“And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, and acquisition of [sense] media of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called birth.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “Just as, monks, when rain descends heavily upon some mountaintop, the water flows down along with the slope, and fills the clefts, gullies, and creeks; these being filled fill up the pools; these being filled fill up the ponds; these being filled fill up the streams; these being filled fill up the rivers; and the rivers being filled fill up the great ocean — in the same way, monks, ignorance is the supporting condition for kamma formations, kamma formations are the supporting condition for consciousness, consciousness is the supporting condition for mentality-materiality, mentality-materiality is the supporting condition for the sixfold sense base, the sixfold sense base is the supporting condition for contact, contact is the supporting condition for feeling, feeling is the supporting condition for craving, craving is the supporting condition for clinging, clinging is the supporting condition for becoming, becoming is the supporting condition for birth, birth is the supporting condition for suffering, suffering is the supporting condition for faith, faith is the supporting condition for joy, joy is the supporting condition for rapture, rapture is the supporting condition for tranquillity, tranquillity is the supporting condition for happiness, happiness is the supporting condition for concentration, concentration is the supporting condition for the knowledge and vision of things as they really are, the knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the supporting condition for disenchantment, disenchantment is the supporting condition for dispassion, dispassion is the supporting condition for emancipation, and emancipation is the supporting condition for the knowledge of the destruction (of the cankers).” — Upanisa Sutta
TWELVE NIDĀNAS
JARĀMARAṆA
aging & death
“Now what is aging and death? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging. Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called death.” — Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta “When what exists is there old age and death? What is a requirement for old age and death?’...Through rational application of mind, I penetrated with wisdom: ‘When rebirth exists there’s old age and death. Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death.’ “Then it occurred to me: ‘When what exists is there rebirth? … continued existence … grasping … craving … feeling … contact … the six sense fields … name and form … consciousness … ‘When what exists are there choices? What is a requirement for choices?’ Then, through rational application of mind, I penetrated with wisdom: ‘When ignorance exists there are choices. Ignorance is a requirement for choices.’” — Gotama Sutta
THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
ANATTA
not-self
“Bhikkhus, form is not-self. Were form self, then this form would not lead to affliction, and one could have it of form: ‘Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.’ And since form is not-self, so it leads to affliction, and none can have it of form: ‘Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.’ “Bhikkhus, feeling is not-self... “Bhikkhus, perception is not-self... “Bhikkhus, determinations are not-self... “Bhikkhus, consciousness is not self. Were consciousness self, then this consciousness would not lead to affliction, and one could have it of consciousness: ‘Let my consciousness be thus, let my consciousness be not thus.’ And since consciousness is not-self, so it leads to affliction, and none can have it of consciousness: ‘Let my consciousness be thus, let my consciousness be not thus.’ “Bhikkhus, how do you conceive it: is form permanent or impermanent?” — “Impermanent, venerable Sir.” — “Now is what is impermanent painful or pleasant?” — “Painful, venerable Sir.” — “Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this is I, this is my self’”? — “No, venerable sir.” “Is feeling permanent or impermanent?... “Is perception permanent or impermanent?... “Are determinations permanent or impermanent?... “Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?” — “Impermanent, venerable sir.” — “Now is what is impermanent pleasant or painful?” — “Painful, venerable sir.” — “Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this is I, this is my self’”? — “No, venerable sir.” “So, bhikkhus any kind of form whatever, whether past, future or presently arisen, whether gross or subtle, whether in oneself or external, whether inferior or superior, whether far or near, must with right understanding how it is, be regarded thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not I, this is not myself.’ “Any kind of feeling whatever... “Any kind of perception whatever... “Any kind of determination whatever... “Any kind of consciousness whatever, whether past, future or presently arisen, whether gross or subtle, whether in oneself or external, whether inferior or superior, whether far or near must, with right understanding how it is, be regarded thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not I, this is not my self.’ “Bhikkhus, when a noble follower who has heard (the truth) sees thus, he finds estrangement in form, he finds estrangement in feeling, he finds estrangement in perception, he finds estrangement in determinations, he finds estrangement in consciousness. “When he finds estrangement, passion fades out. With the fading of passion, he is liberated. When liberated, there is knowledge that he is liberated.” — Anattalakkhana Sutta
THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
DUKKHA
suffering
“There are these three forms of stressfulness, my friend: the stressfulness of pain, the stressfulness of fabrication, the stressfulness of change. These are the three forms of stressfulness.” — Dukkha Sutta
THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
ANICCA
impermanence
“And how, bhikkhus, is the perception of impermanence developed and cultivated so that it eliminates all sensual lust, eliminates all lust for existence, eliminates all ignorance, and uproots all conceit ‘I am’? ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling … such is perception … such are volitional formations … such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away’: that is how the perception of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it eliminates all sensual lust, eliminates all lust for existence, eliminates all ignorance, and uproots all conceit ‘I am.’” — Aniccasaññā Sutta
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
DUKKHA
truth of suffering
“Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; association with the disliked is suffering, separation from the liked is suffering, not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.” — Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
SAMUDAYA
origin of suffering
“It is this craving that leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.” — Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
NIRODHA
cessation of suffering
“It is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, giving it up and relinquishing it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it.” — Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
MAGGA
path to cessation
* Right view (sammā-diṭṭhi) * Right intention (sammā-saṅkappa) * Right speech (sammā-vācā) * Right action (sammā-kammanta) * Right livelihood (sammā-ājīva) * Right effort (sammā-vāyāma) * Right mindfulness (sammā-sati) * Right concentration (sammā-samādhi)
︎CORE PRACTICE︎
︎USEFUL LINKS︎
︎SCHEDULE A CALL︎