Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Ramalli.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

My priority is to ensure that by the end of today's lesson, you have successfully met the learning outcome.

Welcome to today's lesson on Buddhist beliefs, the three marks of existence.

By the end of the day's lesson, you'll be able to explain the three marks of existence and how they influence Buddhists today.

To guide us through our learning today, there are three keywords.

They are anicca, anatta, and dukkha.

Anicca is a belief that nothing is permanent.

Anatta is a belief that there is no fixed self, or no soul.

And dukkha is a belief that all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness.

Today's lesson is going to take three parts.

First of all, we're going to explore dukkha and anicca, then we're gonna move on to anatta, and then we're gonna finish the lesson by considering how these teachings influence Buddhists today.

So let's begin with exploring the Buddhist concept on dukkha and anicca.

The Buddha taught that there are three characteristics that are universal to all things.

These are known as the three marks of existence, or some people refer to them as the Three Universal Truths.

They are dukkha, all life involves suffering, anicca, nothing is permanent, and anatta, there is no fixed self, or no soul.

Dukkha is a key Buddhist concept meaning suffering or unsatisfactoriness.

There are different types of dukkha.

There's suffering, such as physical and mental pain.

So, for example, breaking an arm would be causing physical pain and some mental pain as well.

Dukkha is also caused by attachment.

So, for example, having strong bonds, or affection, or desires to people or objects.

And dukkha is also caused by change.

So, for example, referring to sadness or unhappiness caused by change or a loss of something.

Okay, let's just check you've understood what we've just heard.

Which one of the following is not a type of dukkha? A, attachment, b, change, or c, satisfaction? Pause the video and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you selected c.

Satisfaction is not a type of dukkha.

Anicca means nothing is permanent and is the second mark of existence.

The Buddha taught that anicca applies to all things.

It applies to living things because birth is followed by growth, then decay, and death.

It also applies to non-living things.

So, for example, like a Buddhist temple will eventually erode if it's not repaired.

And anicca also applies to a person's thoughts, feelings, and emotions, all of which change and evolve over time.

The concepts of dukkha and anicca can be understood through a popular story in Buddhist tradition, the story of Kisa Gotami.

Kisa Gotami, a young woman from Savatthi, India, was devastated when her son suddenly died.

In her grief, she refused to accept his death, believing that with the right medicine, he could be revived.

She carried his lifeless body through the streets, asking everyone she met for a cure.

However, no one could offer her a solution and gently tried to help her accept the reality of her loss.

But she was determined to find a way to save him.

Eventually, Kisa Gotami was directed to the Buddha, who promised to give her medicine to revive her son.

He told her to find a mustard seed from a house where no one had ever died.

Eagerly, Kisa Gotami began her search, confident that she would find the seed.

But everywhere she went, she learned that death had touched every household.

This realisation slowly made her understand that death was a part of life and that she was not alone in her suffering.

As Kisa Gotami continued her search, she began to grasp the universality of death.

She saw that every family had lost someone, whether it was a child, a partner, or a parent.

With this understanding, her perspective shifted.

She no longer saw her loss as unique but as part of the natural cycle of life.

Eventually, she returned to the Buddha, accepting her son's death.

Kisa Gotami was suffering because of the attachment to her son and ignorance about the impermanent nature of all things.

The Buddha explained that the true medicine he had offered was not for her son but for her understanding.

Through her journey, she had learned a crucial lesson about impermanence, anicca, and the inevitability of death.

The Buddha taught her that suffering, dukkha, is a natural part of life and that understanding this truth is an essential part of the Buddha's dharma.

After this experience, Kisa Gotami became a follower of the Buddha.

Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which of the below is the meaning of anicca? A, all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness, b, there is no fixed self, or no soul, or c, nothing is permanent.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done to everybody that selected C.

Nothing is permanent is the meaning of anicca.

So now we're at a point where we can complete our first practise task to check your understanding on dukkha and anicca.

Izzy's explained one teaching that Buddhist learned from the story of Kisa Gotami.

Give another teaching from the story and explain its link to anicca and dukkha.

Izzy says, "One teaching that Buddhists learn from the story of Kisa Gotami is that death causes dukkha and is experienced by all people.

It is a natural part of life.

And this links to anicca because it supports the Buddhist belief that nothing is fixed or permanent." So that's Izzy's explanation of one of the teachings.

I would like you to give another teaching from the story, and remember, explain its link to anicca and dukkha.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, welcome back.

Time to check your answers for the first practise task.

So I asked you to give another teaching from the story and explain its link to anicca and dukkha.

Your answer may look like this.

Another teaching that Buddhists learn from the story of Kisa Gotami is that attachment is a cause of dukkha.

Kisa Gotami was suffering because of the attachment to her son and ignorance about the impermanent nature of all things.

Once she understood anicca, she had a true understanding of the nature of existence.

So now we're gonna move on to the second part of our lesson on the three marks of existence to explore the Buddhist concept of anatta.

The term anatta has its origins in the ancient Pali language.

An means not and atta means self-existence' essence.

So anatta means there is no permanent self or essence.

This Buddhist concept stands in contrast to the belief that many people have a permanent soul or an unchanging self.

"Nagasena and the Chariot." The Buddhist story of "Nagasena and the Chariot" is used to explain the concept of anatta, or no-self.

The story takes place in the "Milinda Panha," a Buddhist text in which King Milinda engages in a series of dialogues with the monk Nagasena.

One day, King Milinda, curious about the nature of the self, asked Nagasena, "Who are you?" Nagasena replied, "I am Nagasena." King Milinda then asked, "What is the nature of Nagasena? Is it the body, the feelings, the perception, the mental formations, or the consciousness? Nagasena responded, "None of these things are Nagasena." The body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are merely parts of a person, but they do not constitute a permanent, unchanging self.

To help illustrate his point, Nagasena asked the king, "Your majesty, when you speak of a chariot, what do you mean? Do you refer to the wheels, the axle, the frame, the horses, or the reigns?" King Milinda replied, "I refer to all of them together as the chariot." Nagasena then asked, "But is there anything in the chariot that is a chariot in and of itself? Is it the wheels, the axle, the frame, the horses, the reigns?" The king thought for a moment and answered, "No, none of those parts individually are the chariot." Nagasena explained, "Just as the term chariot is used to describe a collection of parts, but no single part is the chariot itself, the term Nagasena is used to describe the collection of the body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

But there is no permanent, unchanging Nagasena within those parts.

Through this analogy, Nagasena demonstrated that the self, like the chariot, is simply a label for a collection of ever-changing components, and there is no unchanging permanent essence behind it.

The concept of self is an illusion as all things are impermanent, anicca, and interconnected, subject to change.

This dialogue is often cited to explain the Buddhist teaching of anatta, or non-self, emphasising the idea that there is no external, independent soul that exists apart from the ever-changing elements of our existence.

True or false, the Buddhist story of "Nagasena and the Chariot" is used to explain the concept of anicca.

Well done if you said that statement is false.

Why is that statement false? Because the Buddhist story of "Nagasena and the Chariot" is used to explain the concept of anatta, not the concept of anicca.

Tashi is a Mahayana Buddhist living in the UK.

She explains how she understands the meaning of anatta.

Tashi says, "As a Buddhist, I understand anatta as being made up of different things, like your body, your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

However, none of these things are actually you by itself.

They're always changing.

Just like the weather changes, your body and mind change too.

So there isn't a permanent you that stays the same forever." Let's complete a check for understanding.

Which one of the following means no fixed self in Buddhism? A, dukkha, b, anatta, c, anicca, d, tanha.

Well done to everybody that selected b as the correct answer.

No fixed self in Buddhism is anatta.

Time to complete our second practise task, this time showing your understanding on the Buddhist concept of anatta.

Izzy and Sam explain their understanding of the story of "Nagasena and the Chariot." I would like you to develop each of their points with explanations or examples.

Izzy says, "Nagasena demonstrated that the self, like the chariot, is simply a label." And Sam says, "The concept of the self is an illusion." So remember, you need to develop each of their points with explanations or examples.

Good luck.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, welcome back, everybody.

Time to check your answers.

So Izzy and Sam explain their understanding of the story of "Nagasena and the Chariot," and I asked you to develop each of their points with explanations or examples.

And your answer may look like this.

Izzy.

"Nagasena demonstrated that the self, like the chariot, is simply a label." The development or explanation is the self is a collection of ever-changing components, and there is no unchanging, permanent essence behind it.

Sam had said, "The concept of the self is an illusion." And a development of this point could be because all things are impermanent and interconnected, subject to change.

Fantastic.

Well done, everybody, on completing the second practise task.

So that moves us on to the third and final part of our lesson on the three marks of existence by considering how the three marks of existence influence Buddhists today.

Izzy says, "At school, my RE teacher has asked me to explain how the three marks of existence might influence Buddhists today.

What does influence mean?" Alex responds, "What you need to do is consider how the three marks of existence, dukkha, anicca, and anatta, may impact a Buddhist's thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

This might be how the three marks of existence inspires or encourages a Buddhist." Roshan, a Theravada Buddhist, explains how his thoughts are influenced by the three marks of existence.

Roshan tells us, "If I ever want things to be a certain way and I hold onto that thought, I remember anicca, that nothing is permanent and everything changes.

Nothing stays the same.

Understanding this influences me to let go of my attachments and cravings which cause me to suffer." True or false, according to the Buddha, attachments cause suffering.

Well done to everybody that selected true.

So why is the answer true? According to the Buddhist teachings of anicca, nothing is permanent.

Therefore, being attached to thoughts, feelings, or cravings can eventually cause suffering.

Linn, a Theravada Buddhist, explains how her beliefs are influenced by the three marks of existence.

Linn says, "The three marks of existence influence my beliefs because I acknowledge that I have no fixed self, known as anatta.

This influences my beliefs by not being fixated on people's appearances.

I know that ageing affects people's minds and bodies, and accepting this helps reduce dukkha.

Tashi, a Mahayana Buddhist, explains how her actions are influenced by the three marks of existence.

Tashi tells us, "My actions are influenced by the three marks of existence because I try to reduce dukkha for myself and others.

I do this by stopping feelings of greed and hatred.

This prevents feelings of dissatisfaction in my life.

And I always aim to act with good intentions, to show understanding, patience, and compassion towards others." Time to complete a check for understanding.

Which one of the following may be a way Buddhists show that they are influenced by the three marks of existence? A, they show patience and compassion, b, they show attachment to the 12 nidanas, or c, they show strong attachments.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done to everybody that selected a as the correct answer.

So time now to show our understanding and demonstrate how much you've understood on how the three marks of existence influence Buddhists today.

I would like you to explain how two of the three marks of existence may influence Buddhists today.

So just to give you here some guidance on how to approach answering this question.

First of all, to give a point.

So that would be give one example of the three marks of existence.

And it's always good practise to make sure that the points are developed.

So explain the influence and/or examples to develop your point.

This question asks for two explanations, so to explain two of the three marks of existence, which means you'd need to give a second point.

So give a second example of the three marks of existence.

And then to develop that point, explain the influence and/or examples to develop your point.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done on all your hard work on that practise task.

So time to check your answers.

So you were asked to explain how two of the three marks of existence may influence Buddhists today.

So your answer may include these points.

One of the three marks of existence is dukkha, which translates as suffering.

This may influence Buddhists to try and reduce their dukkha by stopping feelings of greed and hatred.

This prevents feelings of dissatisfaction in life.

A second mark of existence is anicca, meaning nothing is permanent.

This may influence Buddhists today to accept the impermanent nature of all things.

This acceptance reduces attachments and therefore suffering because the person learns to let go.

Well done on all of your hard work on the practise tasks today.

So that brings us to the end of our lesson on the three marks of existence.

So it's time just to consider what we have learned in today's lesson.

So the three fundamental marks of existence are dukkha, anicca, and anatta.

Remember, these might also be called the Three Universal Truths.

Dukkha can be caused by physical suffering, attachment, and change.

Anicca reminds Buddhists that nothing is permanent or fixed.

The story of Kisa Gotami can be used to understand the nature of impermanence.

The story of "Nagasena and the Chariot" is used to explain the idea of anatta, or no-self.

And the three marks of existence influence Buddhists to have no attachments, cravings, or fixed ideas.

Well done on all your hard work.

And thank you for joining me for today's lesson.