[gopinadh]

Namo Tassa Bhagawato Arahato SammaSamBuddhassa

(Link to the “Dammacakkappavattana Sutta“) 

Following is the passage being referred: 

Idaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ—

jātipi dukkhā, jarāpi dukkhā, byādhipi dukkho, maraṇampi dukkhaṁ, appiyehi sampayogo dukkho, piyehi vippayogo dukkho, yampicchaṁ na labhati tampi dukkhaṁ—saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkha

Sn	Section from the Verse	Characteristics of Anicca	Level	Notes
1	jātipi dukkhā,  jarāpi dukkhā,  byādhipi dukkho,  maraṇampi dukkhaṁ	Youth Ends in  Old Age.   Health and Vigour  recede to Disease and Sickness   Being (Birth) ends in  Non Being (Death)   Meetings End in Separation	Beginner	Here Anityata (Impermanence) in ones Life is  seen. One moment, something  is , the next moment it is not. There is a recognition that Dukkha, is a bit more intrinsic than one thought before. It is not something which comes and goes here and there , then and now. Life, Youth and Vigour and Health, joy and happiness, pain and distress – one moment they are, the next moment they are not.  A Layman like me can also tune into these facts. The biggest Macro Pair in the given set are Life and Death. This the beginner. Someone who has started to sense that something is wrong! And that something needs to be corrected.  If this seeing is serious, He becomes bent on learning and integrating – not in discussions. Example: A man treads a path back to his home. Has his bath, food, laughs with his wife and children and aged parents and lays down to sleep. Suddenly He senses he is in pain in his right foot. He is yet to discern further.
2	appiyehi sampayogo dukkho, piyehi  vippayogo dukkho,  yampicchaṁ na  labhati tampi dukkhaṁ	Futility of all Likings	Intermediate	With hard work and a sense of urgency, the insights seen at stage 1 deepen.  He realizes his suffering is caused by the inability to maintain what he likes OR in his inability to keep away what he doesn’t like. (Anicca). Example: The Man in our story, now knows that something has pierced his foot,  causing it to be in pain. He realizes it is still lodged inside and finds out it is a thorn. It must have pierced him while coming home. Being busy or by being  happy and bustling to his home ,  he wasn’t minding the pain.
3	saṅkhittena  pañcupādānakkhandhā  dukkhā.	Anicca -Dukkha- and Anatta coalesce to give the One Big and Final Picture of Dukkha.	Final Stage of First Sacca	Man now truly understands  Anicca inall its aspects . They are Anicca – cannot be maintained to ones liking – for,  they come and go(anitya), cannot be controlled and they tend to change for worse (viparinama) and keep on becoming as other (annathabhava)   Coming back to our example, the man now understands why  the thorn afflicts him- basically his body is by nature fragile- can be pierced, burnt, bitten, broken. Eventually it cannot be maintained. If he cant escape a small thorn, how can he expect to evade its final destruction? He is destined to fall like a seed balancing on a needle(quoted from niddesahttps://www.buddhistinquiry.org/article/upon-the-tip-of-a-needle-maha-niddesa-1-42/). Dukkha was , is and awaits him. He sees Dukkha in all its import. This urges Him on to the next 3 Truths which take place.

 

Further Notes:

• Where do we observe these characteristics? How much of this question is programmed after reading several commentaries?
• How much of it, that people with great vipassana can see things like rupa kalapas,  is true? Should these traits such as rise and fall be seen in the abdomen or feeling, because feeling is a constant (cetasika)?

I think we have to find out for ourselves.

Sirs, this is my life. Our Life.

Do I need to see minute kalapas rising and falling to realize my life is in disorder? That it is plagued by constant fear, worry.  That I have lust in my life sir –  I look at a woman and my eyes run to the parts exposed.  That there is anger in my life , addiction to entertainment, blindness. And at the end of all immoral and worthless Life I have kept so far , stands Death.

If yet all there is something lacking in  a man , then Seriousness is the only thing that any man lacks. I am sure of it.

Buddham Sharanam Gacchami, Sangham Sharanam Gacchami, Dhammam Sharanam Gacchami.

[Lal]

Thank you!

• There are a few errors. The first one at the top of the table: “Here Anityata (Impermanence) in ones Life is  seen.”
• “Anicca” does not mean just impermanence, even though impermanence is part of it. 
• An introduction to the sutta: “Essence of Buddhism – In the First Sutta“

2 users thanked author for this post.

Yash RS, Gad

[gopinadh]

Noted Sir. Will go through the link.  Will Study and come back. 

My wish was the table can be used by those interseted to look and relook at the critical  passage. 

The row headings and Notes will change obivously.

 Like memorizing the 32 body parts , in the straight order and the inverse order  , 5 this way and 5 that way , I felt that one can go through the 3 sections of the passage again and again , this way and that way,   as an exercise.

There is a deep meaning, embedded,  which cannot be so easily grasped by Laymen like me.  

 

 

[Lal]

Many concepts have been incorrectly translated over the years, especially in current English translations. So, be patient.

• I will discuss this issue in the new post later today.

[Author]

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