“sabbe dhammā anattā”
All dhammā arise out of causes and conditions. It appears that the phenomena that we see are actually the decaying process of the causes and conditions that gave rise to these phenomena. For example the process of inhalation and exhalation of breath. Exhalation is the cause of inhalation. The onset of the inhalation process is already a self-consuming and self-destroying one whereby the conditions for inhalation is progressively being destroyed. The more we inhale, the lesser there is a need to do that. Just because we love inhalation, we cannot perpetually inhale without exhaling. The inhalation process is a self-consuming and self-destroying one and yet it is building up the necessary cause for exhalation. The opposite holds true too. Another way I look at the arising and perishing of dhammā is for example, a desana delivered by a bhante. The moment the bhante starts delivering his desana, the self-consuming and self-decay process has already begun. The more the bhante speaks, the more his desana is nearing the end. Seeing the arising and perishing of all phenomena this way, we can see that there is no external agent that is controlling the mechanics of causes and conditions. Whatever phenomena we cognised via our 6 senses are as such – it’s only the decaying process of dhammā that has already arisen. There is nothing enduring enough to be truly called a self.