The Three Marks of Existence

OCR Religious Studies - Buddhism

Dukkha

The concept of unsatisfactoriness, or suffering.

Anicca

Impermanence, including gross and subtle change.

Anatta

‘No Self’ - we are constantly changing so nothing stays consistent, meaning we have no fixed self.

Dukkha-dukkha

‘Normal’ suffering, mental/physical

Viparinama-dukkha

Suffering brought by change.

Sankara-dukkha

Suffering brought by existential crisis, recognition of impermanence (Anicca)

The 1st Skandha

Form - the physical aspect of our bodies

The 2nd Skandha

Sensations - The contact of physical and mental organs with the world.

The 3rd Skandha

Perceptions - The recognition/relation of sensations to matter.

The 4th Skandha

Mental formations - Volitions or Mental acts of will.

The 5th Skandha

Consciousness - Self-awareness.

Scholar: Questions of King Milinda

Nagasena answers questions, shows Anatta (No-self) through the chariot analogy - we cannot point at ‘the chariot’ but the wheels, the horse etc.

Scholar: Nyanatiloka

Says the 5 Skandhas do not individually or collectively constitute a self.

Scholar: Narada Thera

Says the mind is a complex compound of fleeting mental states, emphasizing the impermanent nature of consciousness.