Buddhism is all about Anicca, Dukkha and Anatma

B.M. Seneviratna Bandara

The Buddha preached hethun paticca sambhutan hetu bhanga niruddhati which means that both origin and cessation of everything in the world takes place because of reasons. Ignorance of the Four Noble Truths causes sankhara which change and which are not permanent. This theory of various causes analyses the world. When an individual keeps on being born and expiring, his mind and thoughts continue from existence to existence relating as cause and effect. That’s to say when a being’s death occurs, the mind that occurs to him is called departing mind (Chuti Sita) which creates conceptive mind, for the next birth. The Kammic energy of the being associates with the departing mind, the influence of which energy creates the conceptive mind. Kamma influence throughout one’s birth till he attains Nibbana.

Buddhism agrees that everything in the world has sprung up by a main and several secondary reasons. Therefore, to identify Buddhism to cause and effect law is made use of Defilements create the fruit called Kamma which ensures results. Defilements get sectioned into three. They are ignorance, craving and grasp of objects. Defilements which make the mind impure, cause the result called meritorious and demeritorious Kamma, which is also known as Sanskhara to create an existence. Ageing and death are two doctrines. Birth makes decay. Birth is the cause. Decay and death are the consequences. Past birth and Kamma collected there is the cause for birth which occurred by grasp. Everything originated by cause and effect is known as “Sankata” which has three characteristics namely birth, ageing and annihilation. It is now evident that the universe rests on this law.

According to the departing mind (Chuti Sita) at the moment of death, Conception takes place in a suitable existence. It is an effect of departing mind. Thus the origin of a conceptive mind is known as rebirth. In accordance with Buddhism the being does not finish off birth after death. Kamma collected by him influences in marking a conceptive consciousness which is known as rebirth in Buddhism, Geniuses have disclosed information about their past births departure, birth and rebirth of beings.

Categories

The sufferings can be categorized chiefly as physical and mental. To understand correctly the sense of the Four Noble Truths it must be examined in three modes. They -

1. The ordinary suffering
2. The suffering caused by change, and
3. The suffering caused by everything which was created by cause and secondary reasons.

The ordinary sufferings are birth, decay, complaint and death. The suffering caused by change of everything in the world including lives is called the suffering of change. The suffering caused by everything which was created by cause and secondary reasons theory and by thinking that the five aggregates “I” and “mine” is called Sanskhara which exists in the world. Every one is a worldling according to Buddhism as our bodies are subject to break and cut. In short the five aggregates themselves are sufferings.

The Buddha realised in three folds, i.e., in twelve modes the Four Noble Truths which never get subjected to any change. There are twelve types of sufferings. The Buddha had preached that, He has discovered before attaining Buddhahood that decay and death are caused by birth.

Three important reasons which enable to lead a happy life neutralizing suffering are

1. Being meritorious
2. Being intelligent and
3. Being attemptable

The Noble Truth of sufferings which senses describe samsaric suffering. It is according to the bond of the individual that sensation becomes much or less. The working of the doctrine of dependent origination which is known as Buddhist cause and effect theory is considered as origin of suffering. It takes place according to cause and secondary reasons theory. The suffering analyses samsaric existence the craving being the reason for it. There is consolation when the relation with outside things diminishes. The Buddha pointed out the mental pressures adducing from our lives. An impermanent thing is a suffering. The four doctrines of retention of mind (satipattana) is the only clear and unerring path for liberation of it. Defilements cause suffering which is a result of a relation.

Cause and effect

Buddhism admits that there is a cause which is known as ground (samudaya) to every problem or effect. Accordingly there is cause for origin of suffering too, craving being the chief cause in agreement with Buddhism. It has been divided into three sections namely Kama Thanha, Bhava Thanha and Vibbawa Thanha.

Kama Thanha - craving for sensual pleasures is the desire to satisfy objects of five senses. Bhava Thanha - craving for existence is the desire to safety the objects of five senses through rebirth. Vibhava Thanha, craving for non-existence is the full satisfaction of objects of five senses by individuals who hold wrong views under the impression that there is no birth after death. Being thus satisfied to enjoy mundane pleasures beings collect merits and demerits. They get subjected to suffering by rebirth through these Kamma. In conformity with Buddhism nothing originates by only one cause. There are several causes and secondary causes to any result. Among them one becomes chief. Chief cause of suffering is the triple craving mentioned above as well as the impermanency.

While many troubles in this world have their seats in craving collecting merits and demerits by reason of it is sufferable in the next existence. One craves to get objects of five senses and exhausts to get sensual pleasures through them which create a rebirth. There are 108 types of suffering the sensation being the closest one among many causes. Three types of suffering called prosperous sad and moderate exist without springing up automatically. Craving which produces rebirth is recurrent (ponobhavika). One who does not bind or desire in anything does not suffer. The grasp of five aggregates is the cause for suffering. The root of various conflicts, suffering and troubles in this world is craving which causes delivery to take place.

Nibbana which is known as the Noble Truth of Cessation of suffering is attained by extirpation of craving which is the cause of suffering. The last stage of the Noble Eight Fold Path which is Nibbana should be realised and attained by one who is living in this world itself.

Cessation of suffering

The cessation of suffering is called Dukkha Nirodha. This mass of suffering recurs until its extermination occurs. Craving can be diminished by aiding as much as possible and by gifting. When the Noble Truth of cessation of suffering is realised through middle path, by annihilation of craving mundane suffering ceases. Suffering ceases when both defilements and Kamma are destroyed and when those cause and secondary causes are changed. Nibbana is a supreme bliss when the liberations of defilements are effected. This suffering recurs when the craving and the allied defilements are not uprooted. Two kinds of Nibbana exist.

1. Worldly or mundane type and
2. Super mundane type.

The Noble Eight fold path is also known as the middle path. It endows one with the eye of wisdom. It lasts till you neutralize defilements to attain Nibbana. The individual regenerates until he realises properly the Four Noble Truths in three folds or in twelve modes. The person who realises them by ceasing rebirth attains Arahantship by destroying defilements and getting fruits of the path. There are eight folds in the truth of path. Nibbana can be attained by following this path originating precepts (Sila) concentration (Samadhi) and wisdom (Panna). The serial completion of eight folds does not always take place. The person who has the right view completes almost all the folds gradually from which the three precepts. Sila, Samadhi and Panna are trained. These eight folds are divided into those three precepts: right speech, right action, and right livelihood (sila), right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration, (Samadhi) right view and right thinking (wisdom).

To be continued