On the Three Characteristics

0:00 Thank you. And I'm delighted to see that I can actually change my view on the screen so I'm not spotlighted because I always hide self-view. I don't know if everybody else does that, but I didn't want to spend the whole evening looking at me on the screen. I put it on gallery and you're all there. So that is very pleasing rather than just talking to myself, which by the end of the night, who knows what my mental state would be. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:29 But it's very lovely to be here with everybody. I've been looking forward to it and thinking about what topic I might explore with us all together. Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

0:42 And before I sort of kick off, I thought I'd just invite everybody to pause and just Report an error in the passage at 0:42 Highlight the passage at 0:42

0:55 ask the question of, well, why am I here? Why have I not done any Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:03 morning or lunchtime, whatever time it is for you. Why have I chosen to be here, to meditate together, to come together with the group, to reflect on life and how we meet life? Report an error in the passage at 1:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03

1:21 What is it that brings you here? What's your intention? Report an error in the passage at 1:21 Highlight the passage at 1:21

1:31 Just as a way of really grounding ourselves and maximizing potentially the benefits that we get from this by really knowing why this makes sense to us. Report an error in the passage at 1:31 Highlight the passage at 1:31

1:47 Sure, there's now 40 plus years of research into the mental health and the physical health benefits of meditation. But in addition to those now growing evidence-based benefits, Buddhist meditation also offers us a path to freedom. It's pretty tricky being a human being. We have this amazing mind, but it's also at times a crazy mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:47 Highlight the passage at 1:47

2:24 We live in a world which is wonderful, beautiful. It gives us rich experiences but is also sad and troubling and at times even scary. How do we deal with the challenges of being a human being in this world? Some of the reasons that you might have reflected on in terms of your intentions in coming here. Report an error in the passage at 2:24 Highlight the passage at 2:24

3:00 What we might strengthen as we meditate together, as we listen to some of the dharma and reflect on that for ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 3:00 Highlight the passage at 3:00

3:15 I'm going to talk tonight a little bit about what are known as the three characteristics of experience. And I'll explore that some more. There are a lot of different ways that people talk about this. So I'm not presenting. Report an error in the passage at 3:15 Highlight the passage at 3:15

3:32 What my reflections are as being the ultimate word on this, it's all to be listened to, explored, see what makes sense for yourself, try it on. Report an error in the passage at 3:32 Highlight the passage at 3:32

3:45 And I know that in this Zoom room there is a real depth of experience and understanding and I look forward to hearing some of your reflections perhaps after the meditation tonight. Report an error in the passage at 3:45 Highlight the passage at 3:45

4:02 So I'll just stick up a slide which just Report an error in the passage at 4:02 Highlight the passage at 4:02

4:11 shows some of the things or the overview of what it is that I'm intending to talk about. These three marks of existence or these three characteristics of existence, anicca, dukkha, anattā, Report an error in the passage at 4:11 Highlight the passage at 4:11

4:30 as Tanisaro Biko talks about them, they're perceptions. That we can cultivate. And Tanisaru Bhikkhu says, in fact, the Buddha talks about them as perceptions rather than as characteristics. And I'll talk a little bit more about the benefits of thinking of them as perceptions in a minute. They sit in a secondary way to the Four Noble Truths, which Gita has talked about with us, I think, in this Reign's retreat and also previously. Report an error in the passage at 4:30 Highlight the passage at 4:30

5:12 Seeing them in relationship with the Four Noble Truths and understanding the Four Noble Truths as being the foundational teaching, where we've got the truth of suffering, which is to be understood, the truth of the cause of suffering being craving, that's to be abandoned, the truth of the cessation of suffering, which is to be realized, and the path, the Fourth Noble Truth being the path to the cessation of suffering, and that's to be developed. Report an error in the passage at 5:12 Highlight the passage at 5:12

5:40 So these Three marks or characteristics or perceptions. Anattā, Dukkha, Anicca. Report an error in the passage at 5:40 Highlight the passage at 5:40

5:53 Perceptions that we can cultivate that help us in seeing those truths. Report an error in the passage at 5:53 Highlight the passage at 5:53

6:01 Now, the benefit in seeing them as perceptions, I think, comes from reflecting a little bit on our experience with perceptions. Report an error in the passage at 6:01 Highlight the passage at 6:01

6:17 As we meditate, as we observe the mind and its automatic perceiving of things, automatic knowing of something as a particular phenomenon, a perception arises automatically without our deliberate thought. But our perceptions can change and so these perceptions are things that we can cultivate. We can change intentionally. Report an error in the passage at 6:17 Highlight the passage at 6:17

6:52 You've probably in your own life noticed how some of your own perceptions have changed, which is pretty useful because some of our perceptions are not so accurate. So we can transform them through bringing attention, awareness, repetition to Vanisha dukkha anattā. Report an error in the passage at 6:52 Highlight the passage at 6:52

7:15 The perceptions and some of them, some of those perceptions change. Some of our perceptions change quite naturally throughout our life. I was thinking about this recently and I'm going to talk a little bit more about my holiday down south tonight where I spent a lot of time in the bush. The Australian bush is quite magnificent. But 10 years ago, rather. Report an error in the passage at 7:15 Highlight the passage at 7:15

7:45 When I was a 10 year old, so 50 years ago, 51 years ago, I would have said it was boring, unattractive and a number of other words that weren't very flattering of the bush. Report an error in the passage at 7:45 Highlight the passage at 7:45

8:05 I'm going to show you. Let's see if I can go to the next image. Maybe just that way. So this is. An image of the bush I was in down south recently and it's called, we're looking there across to the Barren Range and it's in the Fitzgerald River National Park. Report an error in the passage at 8:05 Highlight the passage at 8:05

8:29 It's pretty tough country and as I said my perception of it originally was conditioned by images of landscapes in Europe, images of Well, I guess also the cultural cringe that we experience in Australia where we see what exists in other places as being superior to what we have here. And it's taken me years and years to change that perception. And being down in that country for eight days and looking at some of the amazing flora, the amazing biodiversity that's there. Report an error in the passage at 8:29 Highlight the passage at 8:29

9:22 really Really reinforced for me how my perception of the Australian bush has changed over time. The southwest corner of Western Australia is what's known as a biodiversity hotspot. And there's only 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It means that we have in this area exceptional biodiversity which is under threat. Report an error in the passage at 9:22 Highlight the passage at 9:22

9:49 And you need to pause, you need to take your time, you need to get down close to Report an error in the passage at 9:49 Highlight the passage at 9:49

9:58 The small shrubs, the small plants, to actually experience and appreciate, I think, the biodiversity that we have here. I showed you just before the previous image of what's known as the Barren Range. In the 1800s, an English admiral sailed past, he was called Flinders. And he saw this range and he named it the barren range, which now has been blown out of the water, that name barren meaning lifeless, meaning nothing there. Report an error in the passage at 9:58 Highlight the passage at 9:58

10:41 It's now known as one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. What are we looking for? What do we see? Our perceptions change as we bring our attention to different things. In our experience, and so tonight we're looking at being able to bring our attention to these three characteristics of existence, remarks of existence, anicca, dukkha, anattā, because often we misperceive. Report an error in the passage at 10:41 Highlight the passage at 10:41

11:24 At times we might think of our experience as being pretty stable, permanent. Maybe we see it as being reasonably reliable. It's satisfactory. And we can feel in control of our lives. And that's the sense of self, feeling, yeah, I've got this nailed. You know, we might study hard, get a job, find a partner, have kids, all part of this big plan. Report an error in the passage at 11:24 Highlight the passage at 11:24

12:00 Though I'm guessing that for most of us now, we've got a few years under our belt. And we probably know by now well and truly that the perception of stability, permanence, the perception of reliability, satisfactoriness, the perception that we're in control, it's illusory much of the time. And we pause and reflect on our health, our relationships, our work, big things, the climate. Report an error in the passage at 12:00 Highlight the passage at 12:00

13:10 One of the ways I've been hearing These three characteristics or these three perceptions being talked about in the last few years is rather than impermanence, suffering, not self, as impermanence or existence being impermanent, imperfect and impersonal. And that's quite a neat way of remembering it. And it feels quite accessible to me. Impermanent. Report an error in the passage at 13:10 Highlight the passage at 13:10

13:43 imperfect Report an error in the passage at 13:43 Highlight the passage at 13:43

13:48 So life as we go along bears those characteristics. It feels a little less technical for me and more accessible. And over the years, I've been trying to build these perceptions into the way that I meet life. life Report an error in the passage at 13:48 Highlight the passage at 13:48

14:17 with varying degrees of success but it feels like it is a growing understanding and is certainly helping me respond to the many challenges that that come my way that come all our ways and i thought just for a bit of fun because i i thought i'd look at these um three characteristics or three perceptions that i'd Report an error in the passage at 14:17 Highlight the passage at 14:17

14:43 Look back over the recent holiday that I've had down to the Fitzgerald River National Park and see how keeping in mind these three perceptions helped me to meet the different things that happened during that time. Some success, but still a work in progress. So thinking about anicca, impermanence, one of the... Report an error in the passage at 14:43 Highlight the passage at 14:43

15:20 One of the big challenges that I experience is how I meet the reality of our changing climate and the impact that that has on biodiversity, how it has on the plants, how it has on the environment. The part of the world that I'm living in, South West Western Australia, is being impacted by climate change. Report an error in the passage at 15:20 Highlight the passage at 15:20

15:49 In that it's having less rainfall and, like most places on the planet, getting warmer. And Report an error in the passage at 15:49 Highlight the passage at 15:49

16:04 the benefits that I feel by keeping in mind anicca, impermanence, is to actually take a long-term view of time and to look over the last And keeping Report an error in the passage at 16:04 Highlight the passage at 16:04

16:44 that big picture view of change, of impermanence, is Report an error in the passage at 16:44 Highlight the passage at 16:44

16:56 supportive of not getting too despairing when I see what's going on in how our climate is changing. It's not that it means that I choose not to engage with it. I still engage with the issues and want to do whatever I can to ameliorate human impact on the climate, but I'm one little being. So there's limitations on what's possible. Report an error in the passage at 16:56 Highlight the passage at 16:56

17:35 Keeping Anicca in mind, keeping impermanence in mind, seeing comings and goings on planet Earth is very supportive. And I was down south seeing the impacts of climate change on some of the biodiversity while I was on holiday, loving it, appreciating it, and also feeling the sadness of it as well. So holding all of that at the same time. Report an error in the passage at 17:35 Highlight the passage at 17:35

18:08 So Anicca. And dukkha, dukkha. Just recently, I don't have it here. I was going to, you know, the, oh, that's more impermanence, I think. Report an error in the passage at 18:08 Highlight the passage at 18:08

18:23 More recently, I've been trying to build into my expectations, my planning for things and awareness that it may not work out the way I have thought about it. So from the very beginning. in a sense of unsatisfactoriness to it. It may, it may not, but not being so focused or so attached to everything working out in a particular way, understanding that most. Report an error in the passage at 18:23 Highlight the passage at 18:23

18:55 we do have a an element of joy as well as an element of sorrow so remembering that unsatisfactoriness is just part of life while we were down on holiday we were staying Just on the edge of the National Park, which has a 20 kilometre road into the National Park. And at the end, it's on the southern coast. There is a point on the southern coast in a bay where southern right whales come in and breed. Report an error in the passage at 18:55 Highlight the passage at 18:55

19:29 And sometimes up to 20, 30 mums with their babies are there. So it was like, oh, gosh. That'll be so exciting to see. We don't need 20. We don't need 30. Just one or two would be great because they're right there, you know, 100 metres from where you can go. Report an error in the passage at 19:29 Highlight the passage at 19:29

19:47 Except the road was closed and we weren't able to go there. So the place that we were staying, the host there, she was very cranky with the national park for closing the road and, you know, they should open it. It should be open, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it was like, oh, well. Report an error in the passage at 19:47 Highlight the passage at 19:47

20:06 It's not what I want, but more important to me is that I can meet what I don't want without being bent out of shape. More important is that I can understand the reality of life not always working out the way I want it to and being okay with that. And I actually mentioned that to the host and she was like, oh, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 20:06 Highlight the passage at 20:06

20:32 That's a good point. And so I think she was happy that I wasn't then cranky with her, even though it was not her doing that the National Park was closed and we couldn't get in and see the mums and the bub whales, which would have been lovely. Report an error in the passage at 20:32 Highlight the passage at 20:32

20:47 Next time. Report an error in the passage at 20:47 Highlight the passage at 20:47

20:51 So anicca dukkha anattā, not self. One of the challenges that cropped up on our holiday, I was there with my partner. is that. His health declined while we were on holiday. I have run this past him because I don't like talking about him without letting him know and getting his okay, if it's okay for me to talk about it tonight. Report an error in the passage at 20:51 Highlight the passage at 20:51

21:22 He said, yes, of course. Do you want a photo of me as well? I said, no, that would be fine. I didn't think I needed a photo of him for the presentation. Report an error in the passage at 21:22 Highlight the passage at 21:22

21:32 His health declined while we were down there. And my conditioning is to feel responsible for him and to want to do whatever I can to make him well, to make him happy, to make him better. Report an error in the passage at 21:32 Highlight the passage at 21:32

21:52 And that's a very crazy project. And it has a sense of me being in control. Kathryn somehow being able to affect. not only what's going on in her life but in the life of the person this person that she cares about and others as well so it's something that is an ongoing conversation between us as a way of supporting me not to well just accept the reality that his health is his situation to deal with I can support him I can Report an error in the passage at 21:52 Highlight the passage at 21:52

22:38 Care for him, but trying to be responsible and or feeling responsible, feeling that I should be able to somehow make him better. That's a crazy sense of self that is only going to end in tears. So that one in particular is still a work in progress of trying to see that I don't have any control in this situation and accepting that as being the reality. Report an error in the passage at 22:38 Highlight the passage at 22:38

23:07 I want him to feel happy, but I can care, and that's what I can do. Report an error in the passage at 23:07 Highlight the passage at 23:07

23:19 So thinking about anicca dukkha anattā, our life is impermanent, imperfect, impersonal. And keeping those in mind, I thought that we might keep those in mind as we move into the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 23:19 Highlight the passage at 23:19

23:44 Certainly in the 30 minutes of meditation, our experience will change. It will be impermanent. Maybe even things in your external environment will change, but certainly things in your mind, heart, body will change. And so just noticing that, keeping some awareness of that characteristic, that aspect of our experience as we do the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 23:44 Highlight the passage at 23:44

24:14 So impermanent, imperfect second perception. It's likely that your meditation will not be completely perfect. That's how it is. So can Report an error in the passage at 24:14 Highlight the passage at 24:14

24:36 we meet that with ease, with understanding, with care, acceptance? And then, of course, the third aspect, we've got impermanent, imperfect. imperfect impersonal Our experience, both our external experience and also our internal experience, is largely not in our control. The thoughts, feelings, urges, judgments, desires, fears, dreams that might arise in this meditation. Report an error in the passage at 24:36 Highlight the passage at 24:36

25:20 We'll be conditioned by what's happened to you already today, what happened to you yesterday, what happened to you 40 years ago. The factors conditioning our current experience, we didn't choose. We didn't choose those events and we don't get to choose what arises in this moment in the mind. What we can influence is how we respond to it, how we meet it. Report an error in the passage at 25:20 Highlight the passage at 25:20

25:49 Can we make peace with what is impermanent, imperfect and impersonal? Can we bring interest and care to our experience, even if it is all of those things which we don't often want? So can we bring care and interest rather than aversion and judgment? That's our challenge. My intention, I'm just looking at the time now, is to guide us for about 15 minutes and then have a bit of... Report an error in the passage at 25:49 Highlight the passage at 25:49

26:22 About 15 minutes of silence. If the particular form of guidance that I choose isn't what you need tonight, please do what you need to do. I'm going to have more of an open awareness approach to practice. Bhikkhu Analio talks about one key aspect of mindfulness as being like the marama sheepdog. So that's the kind of... Report an error in the passage at 26:22 Highlight the passage at 26:22

27:10 it's aware it's alert it's awake but it's resting while everything's just going along as it should so that's the kind of approach to mindfulness that I'm inviting us into let's see what happens So as we start, just checking in with how your mind, body, heart is at the moment. Report an error in the passage at 27:10 Highlight the passage at 27:10

27:45 It's likely that there'll be different thoughts or reactions that have been generated connected to what I've been talking about. Report an error in the passage at 27:45 Highlight the passage at 27:45

27:55 Or it might be that And how's Report an error in the passage at 27:55 Highlight the passage at 27:55

28:17 the body? mind connected to something else that's happened. Report an error in the passage at 28:17 Highlight the passage at 28:17

28:14 figuratively standing back from our own Report an error in the passage at 28:14 Highlight the passage at 28:14

28:21 being aware of what's here. Report an error in the passage at 28:21 Highlight the passage at 28:21

28:30 bringing some interest, some care to whatever it is that we become aware of. Report an error in the passage at 28:30 Highlight the passage at 28:30

· · · silence, 1 minute

29:08 As we start really attending to the body too, you might have become aware of a niggle or some tension. Do you need to gently stretch or slightly adjust? Feel free. We're Report an error in the passage at 29:08 Highlight the passage at 29:08

29:43 here with good intentions. We're just giving this practice our best shot and letting what unfolds be an opportunity for practice. an opportunity for knowing for accepting for understanding bringing Report an error in the passage at 29:43 Highlight the passage at 29:43

30:24 some kindfulness if that's available to your experience right now and Report an error in the passage at 30:24 Highlight the passage at 30:24

31:04 if an open awareness practice appeals to you tonight having a sense of the different phenomena that you become aware of so our anchor in an open awareness practice is the awareness itself and we become aware of different things maybe Report an error in the passage at 31:04 Highlight the passage at 31:04

31:34 the feeling of the body in the chair or sitting on the cushion or walking we Report an error in the passage at 31:34 Highlight the passage at 31:34

31:52 may become aware of a sound arising we Report an error in the passage at 31:52 Highlight the passage at 31:52

32:05 may become aware of how our attention is drawn to the sound and then ignores it Report an error in the passage at 32:05 Highlight the passage at 32:05

32:28 A memory of a conversation from earlier in the day arises. Report an error in the passage at 32:28 Highlight the passage at 32:28

32:42 not becoming an active participant in the conversation but becoming aware that ah this is what's in the mind now Report an error in the passage at 32:42 Highlight the passage at 32:42

32:56 Observing different phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 32:56 Highlight the passage at 32:56

33:04 And Report an error in the passage at 33:04 Highlight the passage at 33:04

33:09 every now Report an error in the passage at 33:09 Highlight the passage at 33:09

33:44 and then, Report an error in the passage at 33:44 Highlight the passage at 33:44

33:48 perhaps... Remembering the three characteristics or the three perceptions of experience, Report an error in the passage at 33:48 Highlight the passage at 33:48

33:59 impermanent, imperfect, impersonal. Report an error in the passage at 33:59 Highlight the passage at 33:59

· · · silence, 1 minute

34:37 This is how it is. It is like this. How Report an error in the passage at 34:37 Highlight the passage at 34:37

34:50 do I respond? Report an error in the passage at 34:50 Highlight the passage at 34:50

34:55 By getting caught in aversion or judgment or Report an error in the passage at 34:55 Highlight the passage at 34:55

35:02 even excitement, depending on what it is? Or am I able to bring interest and care? to this experience as I stay in the awareness of it not getting carried away by any of it Report an error in the passage at 35:02 Highlight the passage at 35:02

· · · silence, 2 minutes

37:14 noticing any aspects of this experience that highlight it Report an error in the passage at 37:14 Highlight the passage at 37:14

37:34 being impermanent imperfect impersonal and Report an error in the passage at 37:34 Highlight the passage at 37:34

37:54 understanding and accepting that that's part of Our experience is how it is in Report an error in the passage at 37:54 Highlight the passage at 37:54

38:19 the awareness and care to Report an error in the passage at 38:19 Highlight the passage at 38:19

38:27 how we meet this experience, how Report an error in the passage at 38:27 Highlight the passage at 38:27

38:33 we respond. Report an error in the passage at 38:33 Highlight the passage at 38:33

· · · silence, 2 minutes

40:19 What are you aware of in this moment? Is Report an error in the passage at 40:19 Highlight the passage at 40:19

40:47 kindfulness available to your experience? And Report an error in the passage at 40:47 Highlight the passage at 40:47

· · · silence, 7 minutes

47:32 as you're aware of the different phenomena, noticing Report an error in the passage at 47:32 Highlight the passage at 47:32

47:46 if the Report an error in the passage at 47:46 Highlight the passage at 47:46

47:52 three perceptions are also present. Report an error in the passage at 47:52 Highlight the passage at 47:52

48:01 impermanence, Report an error in the passage at 48:01 Highlight the passage at 48:01

48:05 imperfect, impersonal, the Report an error in the passage at 48:05 Highlight the passage at 48:05

48:13 gentle little reminder as you rest in awareness of the arising and passing different Report an error in the passage at 48:13 Highlight the passage at 48:13

48:30 phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 48:30 Highlight the passage at 48:30

· · · silence, 6 minutes

54:43 A couple of minutes of tonight's meditation. You might want to review the last 28, 29 minutes through the lens of the three perceptions. Report an error in the passage at 54:43 Highlight the passage at 54:43

· · · silence, 3 minutes

58:26 you're muted. We can't hear you. Report an error in the passage at 58:26 Highlight the passage at 58:26

58:33 Thank you. How long have I been muted for? and existence is. Report an error in the passage at 58:33 Highlight the passage at 58:33

55:39 a couple of minutes to Report an error in the passage at 55:39 Highlight the passage at 55:39

55:46 Just review the last 30 minutes. through that lens, if that feels useful. Report an error in the passage at 55:46 Highlight the passage at 55:46

· · · silence, 3 minutes

58:37 Did you hear the bell? No. Oh, darn. I just did the bell. Thanks for that, Marlene. Yeah, I muted myself to go and get my bell and then forgot to unmute myself. Sorry, people. Thanks for noticing, Marlene. But I've just put up a quote from Sayadaw Utajaneer on impermanence, which is a lovely... Provocation, I think. Does impermanence only manifest when a leaf is falling off the tree? Or is the leaf already impermanent when it is still part of the tree? Report an error in the passage at 58:37 Highlight the passage at 58:37