The Three Marks of Existence

• what are the 3 marks of existence

  - Buddha taught that all things in the physical world are marked by 3 characteristics: Dukkha, Anicca and Anatta

  - all things are subject to these, both animate and inanimate are conditioned by the 3 marks

  - in order to gain liberation, a person must accept Anicca and Anatta to eliminate the incorrect perception of reality (Dukkha)
• how should we react to Dukkha

  - by eliminating attachment and craving we can eliminate some of our self-caused suffering (escape from the cycle of samsara, caused by conditioned co-production, by eliminating ignorance and following eightfold path and meditating)

  - we should balance our reaction and emotion to suffering we cannot control/feel (like virtue ethics)
• what are some examples of Dukkha and the 3 types

  e.g. plastic surgery, botox, ideas of immortality and afterlife theories (resurrection), story of Kisogotami

  all things can cause Dukkha, 3 types are: ordinary Dukkha, Dukkha caused by change and Dukkha caused by conditioned states
• evaluate the concept of Dukkha

  +:

  - fair perception on suffering

  - hope presented through idea of Nirvana

  - compatible with other beliefs (e.g. problem of evil)

  - realistic

  -:

  - at the beginning of Buddhism, people weren't armed to deal with suffering like we are now

  - unpopular due to hard work needed to eliminate it

  - can be seen as pessimistic
• what is Anicca


  - everything is in a continual, interdependent state of change

  - key part of Buddhist ontology, we must accept Anicca.

  - all compound things must be produced and only exist when certain factors come together; they will at some point naturally disperse and the compound thing will cease to exist
• what is gross change


  change can be seen with immediate effect, observable, e.g. weather, emotions, hair
• what is momentary change

  - everything is in a perpetual process of flux from moment to moment ie movement of atoms (compatible with science)

  - this level of change eventually leads to gross change as it's a gradual process which results from many smaller changes

  - cannot be observed by naked eye
• explain continuity


  although things constantly change, they have continuity, eg. a seed is related to the plant it becomes
• what are the 2 levels of reality

  - conventional level of reality: terms such as 'forever' (e.g. marriage) and 'permanent' are used for convenience and adhering to social conventions. surface level

  - ultimate level of reality: nothing is permanent or lasts forever. contradicts ideas such as everlasting God/afterlife
• evaluate Anicca


  +:

  - rejects ideas in Christianity and Hinduism of pre-ordained, unchanging roles in society

  - backed up by science

  -:

  - Abrahamic ideas of afterlife challenge idea of impermanent

  - there are permanent ideas in every religion except Buddhism

  - cosmological argument: argues for unchanging necessary being which causes all other things (immutable)

  - natural moral law: unchaning

  - Plato: eternal forms/unchanging truths
• what is Anatta


  - ideas of the soul are an illusion, and an expression of attachment, ego and desire. ideas of 'self', 'I' and 'mine exist only in conventional level of reality but don't convey anything permanent as a person cannot possess anything on the ultimate level of reality

  - these ideas create negative characteristics

  - renounciation is advised as everyone is equal, has shaved heads and you're dependent on others (e.g. Alms round)

  - aka as egolessness
• what are the 5 Skhandas/Aggregates

  we are made of constantly changing constituent parts (Skhandas). all interdependent and impermanent

  1. form/matter; physical makeup of the body

  2. feeling/sensation: sensations experienced through contact of our sense organs with the external world. includes minds which leads to thoughts and feelings

  3. perceptions: how objects are identified and conceptualised

  4. mental formations: thought processes that lead to actions (ie intentions/willpower), leading to generation of karma. may not be direct but thoughts do impact actions. shapes our personality

  5. consciousness: awareness, makes overall sense of what we perceive, and connects all of the other aggregates
• explain the interdependence and attitude we should have towards the Skhandas and Anatta

  - shouldn't become too attached to the Skhandas as they are a a part of a chain of contingency

  - correct perception of the Skhandas (enjoying change) means they're not a source of negativity, it's a healthy mindset to recognise you're a developing person

  - the Skhandas are also dependent on other factors, all things are interconnected and impermanent

  - recognising the physical cycle of any living thing and applying it to the person is essential in accepting true nature of reality
• what are the questions of King Milinda


  based on conversations between King Milinda and the monk Nagasena, around 2nd century BCE

  highly regarded in Therevada traditions
• explain the analogy of the chariot and how it illustrates Anatta


  - we have no permanent parts/essence in ultimate reality, we are the combination and interdependence of our constituent parts (5 Skhandas). applies to all things

  - our name is a conventional thing

  - we have conditioned existence that's reliant on many other factors

  - e.g. a chariot doesn't exist in actuality as it's just a term used to designate a particular association of pieces of wood and metal. 'chariot' is just a concept, a word that applies when all parts are assembled and work together in a particular way. it doesn't have independent existence
• explain the concept of personal identity and rebirth in the questions of King Milinda


  - Milinda asks 'when someone is reborn is he the same as the one who just died?'

  - 'he is neither the same, nor another'

  - all phases and stages of life are comprised in one unit depending on the body

  - there's continuity, as rebirth is momentary change (simultaneous)

  - transmigration of karma

  - e.g. candle analogy, lighting a new candle with a dying candle
• what are the similes Nagasena uses when illustrating ideas of personal identity and rebirth

  newborn to infant - they're not separate, as by logical extension the schoolboy would be one person and the boy who's finished school another

  lamp - different flames burning in the same lamp doesn't make the lamp a different one

  milk to ghee - they're not the same, but the ghee has been produced because of the milk
• how does Nagasena explain personal identity and Karma and what simile does he use

  - Milinda asks 'if there were no passing on from this body to another, would you be freed for the evil deeds committed in the past'

  - Nagasena explains that it's because of the deeds we do by means of our current psychophysical organism that we're once again linked with another psychophysical organism

  - mango seed represents karmic seed, at some point it will come to fruition and your karmic imprint stays with you