6. The Three Marks of Existence

15/10/25

Describe the story of Kisa Gotami and the Mustard Seed

• A woman named Kisa Gotami had a son

• The son died when disease struck the village

• Kisa Gotami could not accept this and went from house to house asking for medicine

• A villager told her to visit the Buddha

• The Buddha told her he can cure the boy only if she gets a mustard seed from a house where nobody died

• She was not able to do this because in every house someone died

• She realised that death was everywhere and everyone had lost somebody they loved

• She could then accept the death of her child, became a nun and achieved nirvana

What does this story reveal

• That everyone dies and everyone grieves

• Death is inevitable, universal and an aspect of dukkha

• She wants her son to be alive (craving, tanha, cause of suffering)

• Impermanence, nothing lasts forever

What are the three marks of existence

• Anicca

• Dukkha

• Anatta

Define anicca and give a quote

• Anicca - impermanence

• The belief that nothing in the universe is fixed. Nothing stays the same and everything will change.

• ‘all conditioned phenomena are subject to change and decay and are

  therefore impermanent.’ (Dhammapada 227)

Define dukkha and give a quote

• Dukkha - suffering/stress

• The belief that life is unsatisfactory.

• ‘all khandha aggregates are oppressive and unsatisfactory; thus all khandhas are dukkha.’ (Dhammapada 228)

Define anatta and give a quote

• Anatta - no (fixed) self

• The belief that there is no fixed, independent self, essence or soul.

• ‘all khandha aggregates are insubstantial; they are not subject to one's control… All phenomena are without Self’ (Dhammapada 229)

The importance of the Three Marks of Existence

• Can help us to cope with suffering (dukkha) as it shows it is an inevitable part of life.

• Can help us to understand the cause of suffering: We suffer because of cravings and attachments for things which are impermanent (anicca). We suffer because we hold on to a false sense of self and act egoistically (anatta).

• Can help us to overcome suffering. Ignorance of the three marks is a cause of suffering, so we can remove suffering by trying to gain insight into these truths (e.g. through meditation).