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Three marks of existence

The three marks of existence (Pāli: ti-lakkhaṇa; Sanskrit: tri-lakṣaṇa) are the three fundamental characteristics that define all conditioned phenomena in Buddhist teachings: impermanence (anicca), suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self or insubstantiality (anattā). These marks reveal the transient, unreliable, and impersonal nature of reality within the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra), serving as the cornerstone for insight meditation (vipassanā) and the pursuit of liberation (nibbāna). Originating from the Buddha's discourses in the Pāli Canon, they apply universally to all animate and inanimate forms, emphasizing that nothing conditioned endures unchangingly or provides lasting fulfillment.^[1]

Overview and significance

Core definition

The three marks of existence, termed tilakkhaṇa in Pali, represent the core characteristics shared by all conditioned phenomena (saṅkhāra) in early Buddhist teachings: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness), and anattā (non-self). These marks describe the transient, unreliable, and insubstantial nature of all formations, including the five aggregates of mind and body, applying universally to sentient and insentient existence alike.^[1]^[2] Etymologically, anicca derives from the Pali negative prefix a- combined with nicca (permanent or constant), signifying "not permanent" or subject to inevitable change and dissolution. Dukkha, from Pali (Sanskrit duḥkha), originates in the notion of a poorly fitted axle-hole (duḥ meaning "bad" or "difficult," kha as "space" or "axle"), connoting something "hard to endure," "painful," or inherently unsatisfactory due to its instability. Anattā stems from a- (not) plus attā (self or soul), indicating "without self," "soulless," or lacking any enduring, independent essence.^[1]^[3] These marks underpin vipassanā (insight meditation), where direct contemplation of them in phenomena fosters disenchantment with conditioned existence, eradicating attachment and craving to achieve liberation (nibbāna) from saṃsāra (cyclic rebirth).^[1] Their formulation traces to foundational early texts, including the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), which expounds dukkha as the first noble truth, and the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (SN 22.59), which elucidates anattā through analysis of the aggregates.^[4]^[5]

Role in Buddhist doctrine

The three marks of existence—impermanence (anicca), suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anattā)—play a central role in Buddhist doctrine by providing the foundational framework for understanding the Four Noble Truths, especially the truth of suffering and the path leading to its cessation. The first noble truth identifies suffering as inherent in conditioned existence, which the marks elucidate by revealing that all phenomena are transient, inherently dissatisfying due to their changeability, and devoid of a permanent essence, thereby fueling attachment and craving as the second truth's origin of suffering. Insight into these marks enables the realization of the third truth, the cessation of suffering through detachment, and supports the fourth truth's noble eightfold path, where contemplative practices cultivate wisdom to transcend conditioned reality. This doctrinal integration underscores the marks as essential for liberation, transforming mere intellectual assent into experiential wisdom that uproots ignorance.^[1]^[6] Scripturally, the three marks are rooted in the Pāli Canon, with key expositions in suttas such as the Saṃyutta Nikāya 22.59 (Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta), where the Buddha instructs his disciples that the five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness—are impermanent, subject to suffering, and not-self, urging contemplation to foster disillusionment and dispassion. This sutta, delivered shortly after the Buddha's enlightenment, applies the marks universally to all conditioned phenomena, emphasizing their role in dismantling the illusion of permanence and selfhood. The Abhidhamma Piṭaka further systematizes these teachings, enumerating the marks as universal properties (lakkhaṇa) of all conditioned dhammas in texts like the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, where they classify phenomena into 81 types, all bearing the characteristics of arising, persistence, and dissolution, thus providing a philosophical analysis that reinforces the suttas' insights for doctrinal precision and meditative application.^[7]^[8] Across Buddhist schools, the doctrinal emphasis varies while maintaining the marks' core significance. In Theravāda tradition, they form the cornerstone of insight meditation (vipassanā), serving as the primary objects for developing penetrative wisdom that directly confronts conditioned existence to achieve enlightenment, as elaborated in commentaries like the Visuddhimagga. In Mahāyāna, the marks integrate with advanced concepts such as emptiness (śūnyatā), extending their scope beyond individual liberation to universal compassion; for instance, impermanence and non-self align with the Madhyamaka view of phenomena as empty of inherent nature, while dukkha motivates the bodhisattva path. In the Yogācāra school, the marks relate to the mind-only (vijñaptimātra) doctrine, highlighting the role of consciousness in the arising of conditioned phenomena marked by impermanence, suffering, and non-self.^[6]^[9]

Individual explanations

Anicca (impermanence)

Anicca, or impermanence, constitutes one of the foundational characteristics of all conditioned phenomena in Buddhist philosophy, asserting that everything arising from causes and conditions is subject to arising, change, and eventual cessation, devoid of any inherent, unchanging essence.^[1] This doctrine underscores the transient nature of existence, where no entity—be it material or mental—persists in a fixed state, emphasizing the dynamic flux inherent in reality.^[10] The concept rejects notions of eternal stability, highlighting instead the perpetual process of becoming and dissolution that defines samsaric existence.^[11] Impermanence manifests on multiple perceptual levels, ranging from gross observable changes to subtler, instantaneous fluctuations. At the gross level, anicca is evident in everyday phenomena such as the aging of the body, the decay of material objects, and the inevitability of death, where forms clearly arise, endure briefly, and disintegrate over time.^[1] In contrast, the subtle level, as elaborated in the Abhidhamma analysis, perceives impermanence through the momentary flux of dhammas—ultimate realities comprising mind and matter—that arise and cease in rapid succession, often described in three phases: the nascent (arising), the static (brief persistence), and the cessant (passing away).^[1] This ultrafine impermanence, akin to a flickering flame, reveals the instability even within what appears continuous, requiring refined insight to discern.^[12] Scriptural teachings vividly illustrate anicca through the Buddha's discourses on the five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—which form the basis of personal experience and are declared impermanent. In the Mahānidāna Sutta (DN 15), the Buddha explains how these aggregates, conditioned by dependent origination, are transient and subject to dissolution, arising interdependently without autonomous endurance.^[13] Similarly, in the Anicca Sutta (SN 22.45), he directly states that each aggregate "is impermanent," urging contemplation to uproot misconceptions of permanence. These examples portray the aggregates not as stable entities but as fleeting processes, perpetually transforming under causal influences. The recognition of anicca carries profound implications for human attachment, as clinging to impermanent phenomena fosters delusion and perpetuates the cycle of suffering. When individuals grasp at the aggregates or external objects as enduring and self-sustaining, they engender ignorance (avijjā), mistaking flux for fixity and thereby reinforcing unwholesome cravings. This attachment, rooted in the failure to perceive anicca, blinds one to the true nature of reality, leading to repeated disappointment upon inevitable change; thus, insight into impermanence serves as an antidote, dissolving such delusions.^[1] (This awareness of impermanence also underpins the arising of dukkha, as attachment to the unstable inevitably yields unsatisfactoriness.) In contemporary Buddhist thought, anicca finds intriguing parallels with scientific concepts, enriching interdisciplinary dialogues without equating the two frameworks. For instance, the second law of thermodynamics, positing entropy as the inexorable increase in disorder within closed systems, mirrors anicca's emphasis on inevitable decay and transformation in physical phenomena.^[14] Likewise, quantum mechanics' depiction of subatomic particles in constant probabilistic flux—lacking definite position or state until observed—echoes the subtle, non-substantial impermanence of dhammas, challenging classical views of stable reality.^[15] These analogies, explored by scholars like those in modern physics-Buddhism syntheses, highlight anicca's relevance to understanding universal change, though they remain interpretive bridges rather than direct validations.^[16]

Dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness)

Dukkha, often translated as suffering or unsatisfactoriness, refers to the inherent unease pervading all conditioned existence in Buddhism, encompassing not merely overt pain but a fundamental dissatisfaction arising from the nature of phenomena. This mark of existence highlights how all experiences within samsara are marked by a subtle friction or incompleteness, prompting the recognition that true satisfaction eludes grasp in transient states. As the first of the Four Noble Truths, dukkha underscores the necessity of understanding this pervasive condition to pursue liberation.^[17] Buddhist teachings delineate dukkha into a threefold classification to reveal its multifaceted nature: ordinary suffering (dukkha-dukkhatā), the direct experience of pain or displeasure; suffering due to change (vipariṇāma-dukkhatā), the dissatisfaction from the inevitable alteration or loss of pleasant experiences; and pervasive formation-suffering (saṅkhāra-dukkhatā), the underlying unsatisfactoriness inherent in all conditioned processes and aggregates due to their conditioned and impermanent quality. For instance, dukkha-dukkhatā manifests in physical agony from illness or mental distress from grief, while vipariṇāma-dukkhatā arises when joy from a cherished moment fades, such as the end of a harmonious relationship. Saṅkhāra-dukkhatā, the subtlest form, permeates even neutral or positive states, as all formations are burdened by the stress of arising and ceasing. This categorization appears in the Pali Canon, where the Buddha states, "There are these three kinds of suffering: suffering due to pain, suffering due to formations, suffering due to change."^[18] The causal link between dukkha and the change in phenomena is central, as the impermanent flux of all conditioned things inevitably engenders dissatisfaction, whether through the disruption of stability or the frustration of clinging to what must pass. This connection illustrates how dukkha emerges experientially from the dynamic nature of existence, amplifying unease across all levels of the threefold classification.^[18] Scripturally, dukkha is elaborated in the Sallatha Sutta through the metaphor of two arrows: the first representing the unavoidable painful feeling (dukkha-dukkhatā), and the second the additional mental suffering born of resistance and craving, which the wise avoid by not adding affliction to affliction. In this discourse, the Buddha explains that an uninstructed person, struck by a painful sensation, sorrows and laments, thus feeling two pains—physical and mental—whereas a well-instructed disciple experiences only the first, discerning the sensation without proliferation. Furthermore, dukkha forms the core of the First Noble Truth in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, where it is defined broadly as "birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering... In brief, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering," emphasizing its comprehensive scope beyond mere discomfort.^[19]^[17] Beyond obvious pain, dukkha encompasses existential unease and a subtle undercurrent of dissatisfaction even in apparent pleasures, as all conditioned states harbor an intrinsic incompleteness that belies lasting fulfillment. This nuanced breadth counters simplistic views of dukkha as solely negative, revealing its presence in the fleeting happiness of sensory enjoyments, where anticipation of loss undermines contentment. Such subtlety ties dukkha to the mark of non-self, as the unsatisfactoriness intensifies through misguided identification with impermanent phenomena lacking inherent essence.^[17]

Anattā (non-self)

Anattā, or non-self, constitutes a foundational teaching in early Buddhism, asserting the absence of any eternal, autonomous ātman or self inherent in beings or phenomena. Rather than positing an enduring essence, the doctrine holds that all conditioned dhammas—elements of existence—are empty of self-nature, lacking the attributes of permanence, control, or inherent identity. This view challenges the prevailing Indian philosophical notions of a substantial soul, emphasizing instead that personal identity is a conventional designation for a dynamic, interdependent process.^[20] The core analysis of anattā centers on the five aggregates (khandhas)—form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental formations (saṅkhāra), and consciousness (viññāṇa)—which collectively constitute what is experienced as the individual. The inquiry does not ask "what is the self?" but "is there a self?" evaluated against three criteria: whether it is permanent (nitya), satisfactory (sukha), and not subject to clinging or affliction (anupādāna). Each aggregate fails these tests, as they are transient, liable to suffering, and beyond full control; for example, form cannot be willed to avoid decay or pain, thus disqualifying it as self. This methodical deconstruction reveals the aggregates as mere phenomena, unfit to be claimed as "this is mine, this I am, this is my self."^[21] The doctrine originates in the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (SN 22.59), the Buddha's second discourse, delivered seven weeks after his enlightenment to his initial five disciples—Koṇḍañña, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahānāma, and Assaji—at the Deer Park (Isipatana) near Vārāṇasī. In this sermon, the Buddha elucidates non-self through the aggregates, prompting the auditors to attain stream-entry and, ultimately, arahantship by recognizing the emptiness of self in all components of experience.^[22] Philosophically, anattā steers clear of annihilationism (ucchedavāda), the view that denies continuity altogether by positing total extinction at death, as the Buddha rejected both this and eternalism (sassatavāda) to avoid trapping adherents in unskillful views. Instead, it affirms no fixed entity exists to annihilate or perpetuate, yet conditioned processes arise dependently without an underlying controller. This universality extends anattā beyond persons to all dhammas, including external objects and mental states, rendering everything ontologically insubstantial and interdependent. The realization of anattā thus deepens the perception of dukkha, as clinging to a illusory self perpetuates unsatisfactoriness in the aggregates.^[20]^[23]

Interconnections and extensions

Mutual relationships among the marks

The three marks of existence—anicca (impermanence), dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), and anattā (non-self)—exhibit a profound logical interdependence that forms the cornerstone of Buddhist insight into conditioned reality. Anicca serves as the foundational mark, asserting that all conditioned phenomena are in constant flux, arising and ceasing without stability.^[1] This impermanence directly engenders dukkha, as the transient nature of experiences inevitably leads to frustration and dissatisfaction when clung to as permanent or reliable.^[24] In turn, the recognition of dukkha reinforces anattā, since no enduring, autonomous self can coherently persist amid such instability and unreliability; any posited self would itself be subject to arising, changing, and dissolution.^[1] This progression is encapsulated in the Buddha's teaching: "The five aggregates... are impermanent; whatever is impermanent, that is unsatisfactory; whatever is unsatisfactory, that is not-self."^[24] In the practice of vipassanā (insight meditation), these marks are not contemplated in isolation but realized simultaneously as an integrated vision, shattering the illusions of permanence and substantiality. Direct experiential insight into their mutual operation—observing phenomena as impermanent processes fraught with unsatisfactoriness and devoid of inherent self—dismantles attachment and delusion at their root.^[25] This unified realization, termed the "three signs of being," emerges through sustained mindfulness of body and mind, revealing their conditioned interdependence and leading to dispassion and liberation.^[25] Within the Abhidhamma tradition, the marks are synthesized as universal characteristics (sāmāñña-lakkhaṇa) inherent to all conditioned dhammas (phenomena), applying without exception to the entire spectrum of existence from the subtlest mental factors to gross material forms.^[1]^[26] They underscore the conditioned realm's pervasive instability, where the absence of these marks defines nibbāna as the unconditioned state beyond impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self.^[1] This interdependence extends to the doctrine of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda), where the marks illuminate the empty, relational nature of the causal chain linking ignorance to suffering. By perceiving phenomena as dependently arisen—empty of independent essence—the three marks expose the chain's lack of inherent reality, fostering insight into its cessation and the end of saṃsāra. As the Buddha states, "One who sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma," linking this vision directly to the marks' revelation of conditioned emptiness.^[27]

The fourth mark: nibbāna

Nibbāna, the Pali term for nirvana, represents the ultimate cessation of suffering (dukkha), offering permanent peace and liberation from the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra). It is characterized as the unconditioned reality that transcends the three marks of existence—impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anattā)—since it is not subject to arising, change, or dissolution. Unlike conditioned phenomena, which are inherently marked by these characteristics, nibbāna is described as the "unborn, unbecome, unmade, unconditioned," providing an escape from all fabricated existence.^[28] In Theravāda tradition, nibbāna is viewed as the unmarked state (visaṃyutta), free from the three marks that define all conditioned dhammas, and it is often associated with the signless (animitta) liberation, where perception of permanence, pleasure, and self is abandoned. This unconditioned nature is elaborated in the Visuddhimagga, a fifth-century commentarial text by Buddhaghosa, which portrays nibbāna as the deathless (amata), a fourth quality contrasting the conditioned marks through its eternal peace and absence of defilements.^[29] In Mahāyāna Buddhism, nibbāna aligns with the concept of suchness (tathatā), the true nature of reality beyond dualities, embodying the uncreated and eternal bliss that underlies all phenomena without being tainted by them.^[30] Scriptural foundations for nibbāna's transcendent status appear in early texts like the Udāna (8.3), which contrasts the conditioned world of birth and becoming with the unconditioned nibbāna as the sole refuge from suffering. This passage underscores nibbāna's role as the reality enabling discernment of escape from the marked existence of saṃsāra.^[28] Debates persist on whether nibbāna constitutes a true "fourth mark" or merely an exception to the three, with some traditions, such as those emphasizing the four dharma seals, affirming it as "nirvana is peace" to highlight its unconditioned bliss beyond the conditioned realm. This interpretation developed historically in commentarial literature, including the Visuddhimagga, which integrates nibbāna into doctrinal frameworks without subjecting it to the marks, addressing early interpretive nuances across schools.^[31]^[29]

Practical and doctrinal applications

In meditation and insight practices

In vipassanā (insight) meditation, practitioners systematically contemplate the three marks of existence—impermanence (anicca), suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anattā)—to develop direct experiential knowledge of conditioned phenomena, such as the body, feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness (the five aggregates). This contemplation begins with establishing mindfulness through objects like the breath or bodily sensations, progressing to analytical insight into their transient, oppressive, and impersonal nature. The practice aligns with the Buddha's instructions in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, where mindfulness of the body and aggregates reveals these characteristics through sustained observation. A prominent method is the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition of vipassanā, which emphasizes "noting" or mentally labeling phenomena as they arise to sharpen awareness of impermanence. For instance, practitioners note the rising and falling of the abdomen during breath awareness as "rising" and "falling," observing the rapid arising and dissolution of each sensation to realize anicca; unpleasant feelings like pain or itch are noted as "painful" to discern dukkha's inherent pressure; and the noting process itself highlights anattā by revealing mind and body as a flux of impersonal processes without a controlling self. This technique fosters momentary concentration (khaṇika-samādhi) and leads to the insight knowledges (ñāṇas), starting from access concentration where distractions subside, and advancing through stages like the knowledge of arising and passing away, where formations appear vividly impermanent.^[32] The progression of these stages, as outlined in Theravāda texts, involves ten or sixteen insight knowledges culminating in path knowledge, where the marks are fully penetrated, often resulting in stream-entry (the first stage of awakening). In the knowledge of dissolution, for example, the cessation of phenomena underscores anicca and dukkha, evoking a sense of fear and then equanimity; by the knowledge of equanimity toward formations, all experiences are seen as marked by the three characteristics without attachment, paving the way for supramundane insight and the cessation of defilements. This sequence transforms intellectual understanding into liberating wisdom, with stream-entry marked by irreversible faith in the Dharma.^[32] In samatha-vipassanā approaches, serenity (samatha) practices like breath meditation or kasina visualization first cultivate jhāna absorption to stabilize the mind, after which emerging from jhāna enables precise analysis of the jhanic states themselves for the three marks. Practitioners discern the impermanent arising and fading of jhāna factors (e.g., rapture or equanimity), their unsatisfactoriness due to conditioned dependence, and their lack of inherent self, using the heightened clarity of jhāna as a basis for comprehension knowledge. This integrated method, detailed in the Visuddhimagga, ensures insight is grounded in tranquility, avoiding the pitfalls of "dry" vipassanā.^[33] Contemporary adaptations incorporate these contemplations into secular mindfulness programs for stress reduction and mental health, often in retreat settings or therapeutic contexts. At centers like the Insight Meditation Society, teachings on the three marks guide participants to observe impermanence in daily sensations during vipassanā retreats, fostering resilience against anxiety by recognizing the transient nature of emotional states. Similarly, programs at InsightLA emphasize contemplating unsatisfactoriness and non-self in mindfulness practices to cultivate acceptance and reduce reactivity, drawing from traditional vipassanā while adapting for diverse audiences. These methods have been integrated into evidence-based therapies, where noting impermanence in bodily experiences helps alleviate chronic pain and emotional distress.^[34]^[35]

In ethical and soteriological contexts

Understanding the three marks of existence profoundly shapes Buddhist ethics by providing a framework for moral conduct that counters unwholesome states of mind. Impermanence (anicca) discourages attachment and greed, as all conditioned phenomena are transient, prompting practitioners to cultivate generosity and renunciation rather than clinging to fleeting possessions or pleasures.^[36] Non-self (anattā) undermines egoism, fostering compassion (karuṇā) and the brahmavihāras—loving-kindness (mettā), compassion, sympathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā)—by revealing the interconnectedness of all beings without inherent individuality.^[36] Suffering (dukkha) motivates ethical action as the recognition of universal unsatisfactoriness drives efforts to alleviate harm through adherence to the Five Precepts and right action within the Noble Eightfold Path.^[36] In soteriological terms, the three marks serve as diagnostic tools for identifying the nature of saṃsāra, the cycle of rebirth driven by ignorance and craving, thereby guiding liberation toward nibbāna. They illuminate the Four Noble Truths, where dukkha is the first truth, anicca and anattā explain its conditioned origins, and their insight propels the Noble Eightfold Path—encompassing right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration—as the means to cessation.^[36] Realizing these marks eradicates the three poisons (greed, hatred, delusion), uprooting the roots of suffering and enabling the unconditioned state of nibbāna, free from rebirth.^[37] In daily applications, the marks encourage detachment in relationships and equanimity amid change, integrating ethical living into ordinary activities. For instance, recognizing impermanence fosters non-attachment to outcomes in interpersonal bonds, reducing conflict and promoting harmonious conduct, while non-self inspires selfless support for others.^[36] The Jātaka tales exemplify this: in the story of King Banyan Deer, the deer's self-sacrifice to save a pregnant doe illustrates impermanence through shifting fortunes and non-self via compassionate interdependence, modeling ethical detachment and equanimity in adversity.^[38] Across traditions, the marks adapt to soteriological emphases. In Zen Buddhism, they underpin sudden enlightenment (kenshō), where direct insight into impermanence and non-self dissolves dualistic ignorance, revealing emptiness as the true nature and liberating from suffering instantaneously.^[39] In Tibetan Buddhism, they integrate with tantric practices, transforming the three poisons into paths of enlightenment through deity yoga and visualization, aligning with the foundational insights of the three marks and accelerating ethical purification and realization of the three kāyas for ultimate liberation.^[37]

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[37]
[PDF] Authentic Tibetan Tantric Buddhism and Its Controversial Terma ...
Nov 7, 2016 · Since the 5th century, four types of tantric practice had come into being toward Buddhist enlightenment: (1). Performance Tantra; (2) Action ...
[38]
The Jataka Tales through the Lens of Existential and Buddhist Ethics
This paper aims to analyse and interpret some selected stories from the Jataka Tales, which are stories about the previous births of the Buddha.
[39]
The Technology of Awakening: Experiments in Zen Phenomenology
In this paper, I investigate the phenomenology of awakening in Chinese Zen Buddhism. In this tradition, to awaken is to 'see your true nature'.