1.2: The three Marks and Five Skhandas
1
3 Marks:
· Dukkha:
o Unsatisfactoriness.
o Keown: "Cornerstone of Buddhist teaching."
o Keown: "Suffering is an intrinsic part of life."
o 3 parts:
§ Ordinary.
§ Impermanence.
§ Conditioned state.
o Idea of Anatta (no-self) and Annica (impermanence) are key.
o Bodhi: "The inherent unsatisfactoriness of existence."
o Dhammapada: ""The ending of craving ends all suffering."
o Mahayana:
§ Heart Sutra: "There is no suffering."
· Anatta:
o Not having any of the 4 kinds of self can cause anatta:
§ 'controlling', 'contiguous', 'active agent' and 'experiencing' self.
o Alaggumupada Sutta describes ideas validating the self:
§ "An utterly and completely foolish teaching."
o Buddhaghosa: "No-self, in the sense of having no core."
o Mahayana view:
§ 'Sunyata': All are empty. True realisation of such is the realising of ones Buddha nature
§ Unlike Theravada in which anatta just refers to having no 'core':
· Mahayana go further and do not recognise any inherent existence in the complete self.
o Theravada:
§ "There is no identical being but there is an identity in process."
· Anicca:
o Impermanence.
o Theravada:
§ "All is fleeting."
o Buddhaghosa: "All conditioned things are impermanent."
5 Khandas:
· 5 aggregates of existence:
o Materiality, feeling, formations, consciousness, perception.
· Buddha suggested that the 3 marks underlie the 5 Khandas:
o "The five aggregates, monks, are Annica, impermanent; whatever is impermanent, that is dukkha, unsatisfactory; whatever is dukkha, that is without anatta, self."
· Buddhaghosa: "all that we are, is the result of what we have thought."
· Mental aggregates:
o Feelings (Vedana):
§ Experienced through the body. E.g. pleasant...
o Perceptions (Sanna):
§ What we perceive through the body.
o Formations (Sankhara):
§ Habits?? Not aware of these.
o Sense consciousness (Vinnana):
§ This is the activity of our 6 senses (our 5 senses + our brain activity), e.g., sound hits our hearing system - becomes active and sound consciousness arises.
· Skhandas provide sensory awareness for the self.
· Provides a holistic view of the self, once we understand it fully we understand ourselves and so can let go from false views which cause suffering.
· Milanda's chariot: we are just an impermanent collection of parts. -> Theravada analogy on existence.
o But...
§ How can we just be a bundle of parts?
· There is nothing static. We are just parts of the universe. There is nothing permanent about the bits that make us 'us'.
· Mahayana view on the 5 S:
o They are substanceless, just another part of the universe with no necessary existence.
o Their view of existence is based on:
§ Sunyata
· All is empty.
· Nagarjuna describes it as: "The greatest wisdom."
· Mahayana suggest that the 3 marks of existence can be summarised into Sunyata.
§ Buddha nature: All is empty. We all have the potential for Buddhahood.
· Lotus Sutra:
o "Nothing more than emptiness." (on the body.)
o "All things are empty: nothing is born, nothing dies."
· Vajrayana:
o All is formless:
§ We all have 'primordial mind':
· We have to uncover this within ourselves
o Mirror analogy- reflect everything while being itself nothing.
Theravada:
Emphasis on individual experience of the marks and skandhas.
Rebirth as a central concept, driven by karma.
Nibbana as personal liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Buddhaghosa ("Visuddhimagga") emphasizes meditation practices to realize impermanence and not-self.
Mahayana:
May downplay individual self and emphasize emptiness (Sunyata) as ultimate reality.
Focus on compassion for all beings and achieving enlightenment for their benefit.
Tend to de-emphasize literal rebirth, focusing on transformation.
T.W. Rinpoche emphasizes the interdependence of all things and the emptiness of inherent existence.
Rejection of Self and God:
Three marks and skandhas challenge the idea of a permanent, unchanging self.
No separate, independent soul; aggregates come together and disperse.
No creator God needed to explain existence, karma explains continuity.
Emphasis on personal responsibility and ethical action in this life.
Buddhaghosa and T W Rinpoche
Buddhaghosa on anatta = ‘no self, in the sense of having no core’
Buddhaghosa on 3 marks = ‘all conditioned things are impermanent’ and ‘all states… taken all together should be taken as materiality.’
Rinpoche on the Primordial Mind = ‘primordial awareness that knows the nature of reality exactly as it is’
OTHER
Rejection of Self and God:
Theravada:
Bhikkhu Bodhi: "The Buddha taught that clinging to a belief in a permanent self is a fundamental cause of suffering. By letting go of this illusion, we can achieve liberation."
Ajahn Brahm: "There is no unchanging, permanent self to be found. We are a process, a flow of energy, constantly changing and evolving."
Mahayana:
Thich Nhat Hanh: "The self is no more than a collection of elements and processes coming together and dispersing. There is no independent, separate entity."
D.T. Suzuki: "Emptiness is not nothingness, but the interconnectedness of all things. There is no separate self, only the dance of existence."
Connection to Marks of Existence:
Theravada:
Buddhaghosa (Visuddhimagga): "The contemplation of impermanence leads to the understanding of not-self. Seeing the constant change in all things, we cannot cling to the illusion of a permanent self."
Mahayana:
Nagarjuna: "There is no inherent existence in anything, including the self. All things are empty of self-nature and arise dependently on other factors."
Contemporary Relevance:
Dalai Lama: "Meditation on impermanence can help us appreciate the preciousness of each moment and live more fully."
Three Marks of Existence:
Anicca: Impermanence
Dukkha: Suffering
Anatta: Not-self, no permanent soul
Skandhas: Five aggregates that compose a being: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness
Rebirth: Cyclical existence driven by karma
Nibbana: Liberation from suffering, ultimate reality
Karma: Law of cause and effect, actions have consequences
Enlightenment: Awakening, liberation from suffering
Buddhaghosa and
T W Rinpoche
Na
Th
Nat.
Some philosophers
Section A
Examine ideas about resurrection.
Assess the debate between Dualism and Monism.
Section B
3a Clarify the ideas illustrated in this passage about life after death.
3b Analyse the implications for life after death from this passage.e
Section C
4 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of John Hick’s Replica Theory..