[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. 🙏

[AniccaSeeker]

Thank you all for guiding me on the right path. I’ll give it another try, and if I have any questions, I’ll ask here. Bohoma pin 🙏

[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]

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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