#three marks of existence

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Wassily Kandinsky :: Dull Rise, 1924, Oil on canvas

* * * *

Sometimes when I’m asked to describe the Buddhist teachings, I say this: Everything is connected; nothing lasts; you are not alone. This is really just a restatement of the traditional Three Marks of Existence: non-self, impermanence, and suffering. 

—Lewis Richmond, "The Authentic Life" [Thanks Candace]

[alive on all channels]

[deepinsamsara]

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 things are not-self" — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.

-- Buddha (The Dhammapadda)

[deepinsamsara]

Started keeping a meditation diary recently. Some day I will look back on this and laugh and roll my eyes. 😂

[readandtread]

A world of contingency and change can offer only simulacra of perfection. When driven by craving, I am convinced that if only I were to achieve this goal, all would be well. While creating the illusion of a purposeful life, craving is really the loss of direction. It is a process of compulsive becoming.

Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening

[readandtread]

Again this is not a concept to be believed. It’s to be explored, during meditation, throughout your daily life. It’s a challenging area of practice in the beginning, but as you start to see these processes at work in yourself, you also realize others are like this. Change becomes the norm, rather than an unpleasant surprise, and the impermanence of everything becomes even more obvious. This is not a magical state of seeing, but simply observing the dependencies everything has along with the multitude of processes at work. Buddha never said you don’t have a self. What he said was your body is not self, your emotions are not self, your thoughts are not self, and on and on. Why? Because all of these are in constant change, coming and going throughout the day.

http://secularbuddhism.org/2013/04/17/what-are-the-three-marks-of-existence/

[icareforcaregivers]

The Far Shore

Want to free yourself from suffering? Make sure to put the four noble truths first, says a Theravada monk.

[icareforcaregivers]

The Far Shore

Want to free yourself from suffering? Make sure to put the four noble truths first, says a Theravada monk.

[rainbowtwo]

The Three Marks of Existence

‘As your mindfulness develops, your resentment for the change, your dislike for the unpleasant experiences, your greed for the pleasant experiences, and the notion of selfhood will be replaced by the deeper awareness of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and selflessness. This knowledge of reality in your experience helps you to foster a more calm, peaceful, and mature attitude toward your life.’

- Henepola Gunaratana, Sitting Still.