The word Anicca comes from the terms: "nicca,"
meaning permanence and infinite continuity, and the privative particle
"A," implying an absence of. Therefore, "Anicca" means the
impermanence. In the case of Buddhist studies, this term means a total and
absolute acceptance of the fleeting nature of things. It is the idea that
anything which comes into being must eventually go. To this concept, some argue
that:
Everything that occurs in the
world, perceived by us, is inherently subject to decay, as soon as it appears.
The aspect of change, the aspect of impermanence is vividly shown by the simple
fact that phenomena appear. As soon as a phenomenon manifests, we are duly
informed about its impermanent nature as before it occurred, it had not
manifested yet and then it is here before us. We can ascertain that it just
appeared. Therefore a change took place, and as a matter of fact, in particular
when a phenomenon appears. Then, this phenomenon will have a limited duration,
and it will inevitably disappear. As soon as it appears, a natural law compels
it to ultimately vanish. This is valid for all of them, without exception.
(Dhammadana)
With the concept of Anicca, a person would have
to accept the argument that everything we see as our permanent reality is not a
permanent fixture as we have come to know it, but is actually just a
conditional feature which depends on a series of changes to occur in order for
it to exist in the universe at all. It must also, after going through a series
of changes on its own, subsequently cease to exist alike everything else in the
universe.
We
cannot find anything that is permanent. Flowers decompose, but knowing this
does not prevent us from loving flowers. In fact, we are able to love them more
because we know how to treasure them while they are still alive. If we learn to
look at a flower in a way that impermanence is revealed to us, when it dies, we
will not suffer. Impermanence is more than an idea. It is a practice to help us
touch reality. (Hanh)
It is my impression that the general purpose of
becoming knowledgeable about Anicca and the other marks of existence in
Buddhism (which I will later describe) is for us to comprehend the true nature
of things.
A person's comprehension of the true nature of
things is an essential element of Buddhism. It is also essential to how much
Buddhist philosophy can directly relate to a individual's personal view of
their current reality. This is because, it is said that by understanding the true
nature of things, we are able to "..free ourselves from the need for
certain experiences, attachment to self and to the illusion of
permanence." - Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma. This awakening to the illusion of
permanence is not meant to make a follower of this idea feel cold to the
experiences of life. It is meant to enhance their life by giving them the power
of knowing that the lack of fortune they might have at the present time will
not last forever, and the superb or miraculous circumstances one might be in
right now, could go at any time.
But why then, should we attempt to have happiness
if it will simply leave us soon or eventually with time? On that subject, the
Buddha's perspective was paraphrased by the writer Thanissaro Bhikkhu as thus:
"His wisdom lay in
realizing that the effort that goes into the production of happiness is
worthwhile only if the processes of change can be skillfully managed to arrive
at a happiness resistant to change. Otherwise, we're life-long prisoners in a
forced-labor camp, compelled to keep on producing pleasurable experiences to
assuage our hunger, and yet finding them so empty of any real essence that they
can never leave us full."
I believe the point of knowing this real nature of
things is to find a long-lasting happiness that is not fleeting. If we are
utterly latched-onto something that is not going to last for a long period of
time, then, when it does leave us it tears us. The intention of
this idea of a non-permanent reality is not to prevent us from realizing
something good when it comes or to prevent us from experiencing it. In
contrast, this concept is there to reinvigorate a person with a more free form
of joy: one which does not need
much.
Are we then to love by holding back? No, because: "When
we know that the person we love is impermanent, we will cherish our beloved all
the more. Impermanence teaches us to respect and value every moment and all the
precious things around us and inside of us.." - Thich Nhat Hanh
The Buddha taught with more of a "middle-way"
in mind - that of not going to either extreme. He applied this to many of his
teachings, including how a person in any age should interpret these profound
marks of a something's existence.
Sarah
Works Cited
"Anicca:
The Aspect of Impermanence." Dhammadana.
Creative Commons, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Bhikkhu,
Thanissaro. "All About Change." Access
to Insight. N.p., 2004. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Dharma,
Ven. Dr. Karuna. "Anitya." Buddhism
Today. N.p., 07 Jan. 2000.
Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Hanh,
Thich Nhat. The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into
Peace, Joy, and Liberation. New York: Broadway Books, 1998. Print.
Have you mentioned Thich Nhat Hanh before? Did you know that he was required reading for my doctoral studies? Isn't it interesting how the experts in varied fields come into play in many different academic contexts?
ReplyDeleteI think this is an excellent text. It immediately made me think of the idea of the particle/wave duality. If everything is in a state of constant motion, that means we are too. Our lives, or loves, or desires, they're always evolving or devolving. I guess your point here is that happiness has to be detached from corporeal things, to exist outside it. Very interesting!