Buddhism Beliefs: The 3 Marks of Existence Flashcards
What is a belief?
An acceptance that something exists or is true especially one without without proof, trust, faith or confidence in (someone or something).
What is Anicca?
All things are impermanent, everything changes. All things that exist did not exist at one time and everything will eventually cease to exist.
Why is Anicca important?
By understanding that everything changes we will not become attached to things. This will hopefully reduce craving and suffering.
Anicca quotes
“The mind freed from conditioned things, has reached the end of cravings.” - Dhammapada 154
“If a man tries not to learn he grows old just like an ox! His body indeed grows old but his wisdom does not grow.” - Dhammapada 147-156
“All conditioned things are impermanent.”
Anicca =
IMPERMANENCE
What is Anatta?
We have no permanent self because we are always changing. We have no soul.
Why is Anatta important?
By understanding Anatta we will crave less as we have no one to crave for.
Anatta says we have no self so what are we made up of?
The 5 Skandhas
What are the 5 Skandhas?
Form (Rupa)
Sensation (Vedana)
Perception (Sañña)
Mental formation/ Impulses (Sankhara)
Consciousness (Viññana)
Explain the 5 Skandhas
Form: the physical body eg. hand
Sensation: the senses through which we experience the outside world eg. smelling cake
Perception: the awareness of the information our senses give us eg. realising “thats cake”
Mental formation/ Impulses: our reaction to the information we take in eg. going to get the cake
Consciousness: the thoughts and feelings that make us aware we exist eg. “I am thinking about cake therefore I must be alive”
Whats the importance of the 5 Skandhas?
They help us understand we have no self (Anatta).
By understanding them Buddhists will crave less as they have no one to crave for.
It helps you reach Nibbana as by craving less you will suffer less.
Accepting them is following the Dhamma which will increase their chances of enlightenment.
Whats the best way to explain Anatta?
The chariot simile.
What is the chariot simile?
Nagasena explains to King Milinda that no part of a chariot is the chariot and so the concept of a chariot depends on all the parts not just an individual part. You can then apply this idea to a person to understand there is no such thing as “self” since everything is interconnected with everything else.
Anatta quote
“Look at the decorated puppet, a mass of wounds and of composite parts, full of disease and always in need of attention. It has no enduring stability.”
Anatta =
NOT SELF
