[AniccaSeeker]

Dear Dhamma friends,

I’ve been listening to many desanā by Theros who follow Waharaka Thero, and reading PureDhamma.net has been incredibly helpful in connecting the dots. I would be truly grateful if you could help me confirm whether my current understanding aligns with the true meaning of Anicca, Dukkha, and Anatta.

Here is an example I’ve been reflecting on deeply:

🌼 First Scenario: Wanting my hair to stay

• Anicca: My hair doesn’t stay the way I wish — it falls or changes.
• Dukkha: Because I craved for it to remain, I experienced suffering.
• Anatta: Even though it feels like “my” hair, I have no control over it — so it cannot truly be mine.

🌾 Second Scenario: Wanting my hair to fall

• It falls — I get what I want, which appears as nicca.
• But then someone criticises the new look, and I feel upset.
• Even when things seem to go “my way,” the pleasure fades and turns into discomfort.
• Again, I see Anicca, Dukkha, and Anatta — nothing to hold as ‘mine.’

🌿 I believe this is real vipassanā — observing how:

• Assāda (pleasure) → taṇhā (craving) → upādāna (clinging) → dukkha.
• Even when expectations are met, Anicca breaks the illusion.
• There’s truly no refuge in any saṅkhāra.

Have I understood this correctly? Kindly let me know if any part of this is off-track. I’m here to learn and correct myself if needed.

Teruwan Saranai 🙏

— AniccaSeeker

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Jittananto

[Lal]

Yes. It is a simple yet good example to get the basic idea.

• Of course, we can extend to deeper issues.
• For example, if you like to eat ice cream, it seems that it is an action of “nicca nature” while eating it. Then you keep eating ice cream every day to get “more of it.”  Eventually, it will have adverse health consequences.
• Going a bit deeper, sensual pleasures, in general, seem to provide a sense of “nicca” or “satisfaction.” Yet, seeking sensual pleasures will keep one away from Nibbana; it is, thus, of anicca nature in the long term. Furthermore, if one engages in immoral deeds to obtain more sensory pleasures, it will have negative consequences even in this life.

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Jittananto, jennydo, AniccaSeeker

[AniccaSeeker]

Dear Lal,

Thank you so much for your kind reply. I truly appreciate how you extended the ice cream example to show the deeper implications of anicca, especially how something that feels “nicca” in the short term can lead to suffering in the long run. That really clarified a lot for me.

Thank you again for creating such a helpful space for Dhamma discussion.

Theruwan Saranai 🙏

AniccaSeeker

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Jittananto

[Christian]

It’s much deeper than that, but it is a good start – kinda. Anicca Dukkha and Anatta are the focal point, applying it to hair makes no sense because you can still have your hair the way you want it/like (at least to the extent it is possible), but have no problem with it. If you try to apply it to everything, you will get tired easily. It applies to everything, as long as you can understand it you do not need to go one by one. 

One thing may lead to all things too – there are certain examples in suttas when bhikku could not understand Dhamma so Buddha used example so he can grasp the nature of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta and this is important to understand to focus on nature of it, not hair. 

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AniccaSeeker

[AniccaSeeker]

Dear Christian,

Thank you very much for your response and for pointing me back to the deeper essence of Anicca, Dukkha, and Anatta.

I truly agree that the focus shouldn’t be on the object itself — like hair — but on the nature of how all conditioned things behave. My intention wasn’t to analyse external things for their own sake, but to use a simple, personal example to reflect on how expectation, attachment, and identity lead to dukkha.

As Waharaka Thero often explains,

“Yamak saṅkhatai, paṭicca samuppannai” —
All things that arise are conditioned by causes and are therefore unstable and impermanent.

So even something as ordinary as hair, a thought, a feeling, or a dream — all are saṅkhata dhamma, and thus anicca, dukkha, and anatta. If I can see that nature clearly in one, it helps reveal the same in everything. That was the approach I was experimenting with — not to over-analyse, but to reflect with yoniso manasikāra.

Your reminder not to get caught up going item by item is valuable — I will take care to stay focused on the underlying nature, not the surface detail.

Thank you again for helping me reflect more clearly.
Teruwan Saranai 🙏

[AniccaSeeker]

Theruwan Saranai,

I’ve been reflecting on paṭicca-samuppāda and Waharaka Thero’s explanations.

He often says: if things were nicca, we could arrange them as we wish. But since they don’t work that way, they are anicca. Everything we experience is saṅkatha — already conditioned, running on causes and effects.

This makes me wonder:

• The world (nāma-rūpa, saḷāyatana, phassa, vedanā) comes out of past avijjā and taṇhā.
• It feels like a process that keeps running on its own, like a wheel that’s already spinning.
• We only add “fuel” when new avijjā and taṇhā arise.

So my question is: Is this unstoppable, conditioned continuation itself the anicca nature?

Because we can’t hold it, stop it, or bend it to our will → it leads to dukkha → and shows there’s no self (anatta).

Would love to hear others’ thoughts. 🙏

[Lal]

You wrote: “The world (nāma-rūpa, saḷāyatana, phassa, vedanā) comes out of past avijjā and taṇhā.”

• That is not correct. The correct way to say is: “The world (nāma-rūpa, saḷāyatana, phassa, vedanā) has origins in avijjā and taṇhā. The trigger for the arising of avijjā and taṇhā is saññā.”
• In the case of kama loka (where we live), the trigger is kāma saññā. In general, for kama, rupa, and arupa lokas, I call it “distorted saññā.”  P.S. In the suttās, this is also referred to as “saññā vipallāsa.” Here, “vipallāsa” means “confusion/distortion.”
• You can read about it in the following section: “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
• The current, in-depth series: “Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta – New Series”
• Understanding this requires a real effort. Don’t expect to read a post or two and understand it.
• Perhaps you could start with the post “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” to get the general idea.

• This reply was modified 2 days ago by Lal.
• This reply was modified 2 days ago by Lal.

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