All things in the world possess an inherent nature. From the material to the spiritual, every realm has its own characteristic or, put simply, a realistic nature. In line with the Buddha’s teaching, the simplest and most accessible example for our discussion is the human body. However much we adorn or refine the physical body from the outside, when we look within, it is repellent and unbeautiful. It is constantly changing; subject to illness and affliction; and destined to age, grow old, and weaken.
We know that “it is so.” We also know this is the unequivocal reality of the body. Therefore, in keeping with the Buddha’s teaching, tathatā can be regarded as “the way things are,” or simply “reality.” From a philosophical angle, tathatā can be explained as above in simple terms, yet it is among the most profound concepts in the Buddha’s discourses.
What we can most readily discern through tathatā is this: all phenomena (dhammā) are impermanent (anicca); all phenomena are unsatisfactory or lead to suffering (dukkha); and all phenomena are non-self (anattā). This threefold mark (tilakkhaṇa) discloses the ultimate truth of tathatā. By understanding that all conditioned phenomena (saṅkhāra-dhammā) bear these three marks, one can discover mental ease and consolation.
To further clarify the concept of tathatā, the following points may be set out:
- Taken as the “true nature” present in everything: all that exists is marked by impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anattā). These marks constitute their true nature.
- Taken as the ultimate reality of everything: here one must consider the fundamental nature of all phenomena (dhammā). It is the basic nature recognized by seeing things as they are, free from illusion.
For example, those who live under the spell of illusion regarding the body do not recognize its impermanent nature. They fail to grasp the ultimate truth that the body, by its very nature, changes and gives rise to suffering, nor do they understand its non-self (anattā) character. The body is our most immediate example, one we can examine and use for reflection. Considering its “suchness,” “true nature,” or “ultimate reality,” we see that it is not permanent. What is not permanent is continually changing, and within these changes suffering arises. Moreover, taken from the perspective of non-self, the entire five aggregates (pañcakkhandha: form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness) are anattā.
Form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), formations (saṅkhāra), and consciousness (viññāṇa) are called the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha). The Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta makes clear that these five aggregates are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and cannot be taken as self. Considering the first aggregate, form: it is composed of the four great elements (paṭhavī, āpo, tejo, vāyo – solid, water, fire, air). They constantly change and lie beyond our control. Recognizing this, we see the suchness of the body: it does not exist as we wish it to. Under feeling we consider pleasant, painful, and neutral sensations. These too are unstable: at times pleasure and joy arise; at times pain; and at times neutral, equanimous tones. They arise and cease moment by moment, are not steady, and cannot be controlled. As the third aggregate, perception is our recognitions and memories. These are also always changing, unstable, arising and ceasing. In their arising-and-vanishing nature, they bring dukkha. Perceptions condition further fabrications.
Formations (saṅkhāra) operate as bodily, verbal, and mental activities. In this way, intentions (cetanā), mental factors, and karma that arise through perception also change incessantly and are not fully under our command. The aggregate of consciousness means awareness. The awareness that occur through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind arise dependent on causes and conditions and are continually changing, impermanent and there is no enduring self to be found within them.
Accordingly, under the perspective of non-self (anattā), there is no permanent ‘I,’ nor any enduring ‘mine.’ Our existence, composed of the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness is impermanent and not-self. Likewise, all things are not-self; nothing possesses an intrinsic owner or essence. There is, in truth, no fixed ‘your body’, no absolute ‘your children’, no ultimate ‘your house’. Through this philosophical clarification, one lives free from suffering provided one understands the ‘ultimate reality’ of all things.
A practical understanding of the true nature of conditioned phenomena is most readily developed through meditation. As insight meditation (vipassanā) deepens, it becomes easier to discern the way things actually are. By cultivating meditation in this manner and comprehending the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not-self nature of all that exists, we Buddhists find it easier to realize Nibbāna the supreme happiness we aspire to. If, while immersed in insight practice, you sustain mindfulness and continuously contemplate the true nature of the world, this understanding need not rest on mere belief. It is something to be verified directly through experience.
As parents, when we raise our children we form a profound attachment to them. Yet within that attachment there is no permanence; it is subject to change. Often both material and spiritual conditions alter these bonds. When attachments shift, suffering arises. If one takes them as self, it is impossible to be free from that suffering. Thinking that ‘my children make me suffer’ arises from the constructed notion that there is a solid someone who suffers. In the Dhamma we have heard plainly that there is no real ‘I’ or ‘mine’. The concepts ‘I’ and ‘mine’ point to a presumed self. If there is no person who is ‘me’, then there is no one to whom suffering can truly happen. If there is no real “my child,” then there is no one who can truly inflict suffering. When the not-self (anattā) nature is understood, the contributing basis for suffering falls away. One who is freed from suffering lives with happiness.
You may feel a strong affection for your mobile phone and become attached to it. In practical use, a phone gradually changes and wears out; this is its impermanent nature. If you accept and clearly understand impermanence, suffering will not arise from it. If, within its impermanence, you still experience distress, that too should be understood; then you will not fall into suffering. Where suffering is absent, your happiness is safeguarded. From the perspective of not-self (anattā), there is no inherent ‘mobile phone’. It is simply a collection of many small components assembled together; when taken apart into pieces, you would no longer call it a phone. Understanding this points to the truth of not-self. Recognizing that ‘it is not truly mine’ also belongs to the not-self perspective. Within not-self there is no solid ‘you’ or ‘yours’. Therefore, there is no truly ‘your’ phone to generate suffering. Where suffering does not arise, your happiness remains protected.
In this way, everything that occurs in daily life is a manifestation of suchness. By understanding this ultimate truth, you can prevent the arising of suffering within yourself. Then your happiness is safeguarded, and mental ease becomes attainable. Anicca means the impermanent nature of all conditioned phenomena. This is one of the foundational teachings of the Buddha’s Dhamma. The characteristic of anicca should be understood as follows.
Momentary impermanence: Every conditioned phenomenon is continually arising and ceasing at every moment, always in flux. Thoughts, emotions, and even physical sensations are constantly changing. Nothing retains exactly the same nature in the very next instant. This applies equally to your body, to the bonds formed between you and your children, and to the existence of a mobile phone.
Gradual impermanence: Aging is a progressive change. Growing old, becoming susceptible to illness, and drawing nearer to death can all be classified as gradual impermanence. Changes in relationships with one’s children as well as with society also illustrate gradual impermanence. Likewise, the deterioration and loss of wealth and possessions can be understood in this way.
‘Suchness’, ‘ultimate reality’, or ‘the way things are’ is tathatā. Understanding the impermanent, not-self, and suffering-producing nature disclosed within it directs you toward Nibbāna. By realizing that impermanence (anicca), not-self (anattā), and the tendency to generate suffering (dukkha) are present in all phenomena, you can prevent suffering from arising within. In preventing the arising of suffering, your happiness is safeguarded.
Two principal supports aid you in all of this. First is the blessing of a kalyāṇa-mitta, a spiritual friend. According to the Buddha’s teachings, reliance on a kalyāṇa-mitta is equivalent to the whole of the holy life. A true spiritual friend is virtuous; possesses correct understanding of the Dhamma; offers guidance with compassion; is wise; points out the right path; restrains from the unwholesome and encourages the wholesome; supports spiritual development; and clarifies the Buddha’s word accurately. In sum, reliance on a kalyāṇa-mitta is a primary factor on the path to Nibbāna. It cultivates faith (saddhā), virtue (sīla), learning (suta), generosity (dāna), and wisdom (paññā).
Let us recognize the true nature present in all things in the world. We discern that everything encountered in life, what we meet, clash with, see, and feel is impermanent, or at least subject to change. We understand that our material possessions, our attachments, and even this body, an aggregate we identify as ‘I’ are all changing. Therefore, we strive to live without greed or clinging, free from craving. We accept change. By accepting change, we prevent the suffering that arises from it and thus safeguard our happiness.
Along with recognizing the changeability, the impermanent nature of worldly phenomena, let us also recognize dukkha. The arrival of suffering in life cannot be prevented. Even the Blessed One, though fully awakened, faced suffering. In the final period of his life, he endured much pain due to a dysenteric illness with bleeding. Yet through his realization he had seen that the body itself is dukkha and a source for the arising of dukkha, so he did not grasp suffering with the mind. Because he had discerned the ordinary pain of the body (dukkha-dukkha), the suffering that arises through change (vipariṇāma–dukkha), and the suffering inherent in conditioned existence through the five aggregates of clinging (saṅkhāra-dukkha), he was not afflicted in the ultimate sense. Therefore, recognize the suffering that arises amidst the changing nature of worldly phenomena. Understand well the suchness of things as they are. One who correctly discerns the true nature of things is not overcome by suffering. Within the impermanence (anicca) and not-self (anattā) of all things, one is not afflicted; one’s happiness is safeguarded.