The PATH: Impermanence, Suffering, and Nonself

sent by J.W. Bertolotti | March 7, 2022

Welcome to The PATH — A weekly reflection with three timeless insights for daily life. This week’s reflection searches for ancient lessons in Buddhist teachings. Specifically, what is known as the three marks of existence — impermanence, suffering, and nonself.

1. Impermanence

A standard question for most guests on In Search of Wisdom is — “How do you define or think about wisdom in daily life?” My interview with Kevin Griffin, the author of One Breathe at a Time, was no exception. Griffin responded, 

I have to fall back on Buddhist teachings; three key insights are seen as primary and overarching elements of Buddhist wisdom. They are the insight into impermanence, the insight into suffering, and the insight into nonself.

According to Griffin, some of these, like, the insight into impermanence (or everything changes), are straightforward. The wisdom of impermanence appears throughout several philosophical traditions. For example, in Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Everything’s destiny is to change, to be transformed, to perish. So that new things can be born.”

One of my favorites on the subject comes from Heraclitus, “No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and they are not the same person.”

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2. Suffering

The insight into suffering is one that people can relate to if put in the correct terms, suggests Griffin. It is often understood when described as the unsatisfactory nature of life. An article by Andrew Olendzki (titled What’s in a word?) provides insight into the meaning behind this point,  

The Pali word dukkha, usually translated as “suffering,” sits at the heart of the Buddha’s four noble truths — which boil down to (1) dukkha exists, (2) dukkha arises from causes, and (3) we can end dukkha (4) by following the Buddha’s path to awakening.

Dukkha is further used to describe disappointment when the things we are fond of inevitably change and slip through our hands. The Pali term for this is viparinama­-dukkha, meaning the suffering of change, which the second noble truth explains is caused by craving and attachment.

The Buddha put it this way, 

Monks, form is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. What is suffering is nonself. What is nonself should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees this thus as it really is with correct wisdom, the mind becomes dispassionate and is liberated from the taints by non-clinging.

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3. Nonself

Another interview with Nic Bommarito (author of Seeing Clearly: A Buddhist Guide to Life) uncovered insights into nonself. 

Bommarito writes,

Not only are we a collection of parts, but those parts are in constant flux. Most of the cells that make up your body are constantly changing. The thoughts and feelings you have bubble up and then fade away. Think back to yourself as a six-year-old. What is the connection between that kid and the person currently reading this sentence?

In addition to the constant flux, we are highly relational. Think of the many roles one can take on: mother, daughter, boss, citizen, neighbor, and so on. Although these make up who the person is, they are all relational — being a daughter depends on a mother, being a boss depends on a company and its employees, etc. 

“Your existence, your various roles,” explains Bommarito, “all depend on everything else to be what they are. You do not exist prior to relationships and then enter into them. You emerge out of them, in a web of mutual interdependence.

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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful. If so, please consider sharing it with others.

Each week, we send a short reflection with three insights to help you live your highest good. If you are not a subscriber to The PATH you can sign up here to receive it right to your inbox.

Image credit: Falling Flowers by Shen Zhou (Public domain)

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