The Buddhist Concept of Impermanence
Early Buddhism dealt with the problem of impermanence in a very
rationale manner. This concept is known as anicca in Buddhism,
according to which, impermanence is an undeniable and inescapable
fact of human existence from which nothing that belongs to this
earth is ever free.
declares that there are five processes on which no human being
has control and which none can ever change. These five processes
are namely, the process of growing old, of not falling sick,
of dying, of decay of things that are perishable and of the
passing away of that which is liable to pass. Buddhism however
suggests that escape from these is possible and it's through
also believes in the impermanent nature of life. But it deals
with this problem differently. According to Hinduism, impermanence
can be overcome by locating and uniting with the center of permanence
that exists within oneself. This center is the Soul or the self
that is immortal, permanent and ever stable.
to Hinduism, Atman is the fundamental truth that exists in every
being, while at the microcosmic level it is Brahman who is the
fundamental and supreme truth of all existence. He who realizes
Atman verily becomes Brahman and attains immortality.
Buddha differed radically with this most fundamental concept
of Hinduism and in line with his preaching the early Buddhists
did not believe in the existence of a permanent and fixed reality
which could be referred to as either God or soul. According
to them what was apparent and verifiable about our existence
was the continuous change it undergoes.
early Buddhism declares that in this world there is nothing
that is fixed and permanent. Every thing is subject to change
and alteration. "Decay is inherent in all component things,"
declared the Buddha and his followers accepted that existence
was a flux, and a continuous becoming.
to the teachings of the Buddha, life is comparable to a river.
It is a progressive moment, a successive series of different
moments, joining together to give the impression of one
continuous flow. It moves from cause to cause, effect to effect,
one point to another, one state of existence to another, giving
an outward impression that it is one continuous and unified
movement, where as in reality it is not. The river of yesterday
is not the same as the river of today. The river of this moment
is not going to be the same as the river of the next moment.
So does life. It changes continuously, becomes something or
the other from moment to moment.
for example the life of an individual. It is a fallacy to believe
that a person would remain the same person during his entire
life time. He changes every moment. He actually lives and dies
but for a moment, or lives and dies moment by moment, as each
moment leads to the next. A person is what he is in the context
of the time in which he exists. It is an illusion to believe
that the person you have seen just now is the same as the person
you are just now seeing or the person whom you are seeing now
will be the same as the person you will see after a few moments.
from a scientific point of view this is true. We know cell divisions
take place in each living being continuously. Old cells in our
bodies die and yield place continuously to the new ones that
are forming. Like the waves in a sea, every moment, many thoughts
arise and die in each individual . Psychologically and physically
he is never the same all the time. Technically speaking, no
individual is ever composed of the same amount of energy. Mental
stuff and cellular material all the time. He is subject
to change and the change is a continuous movement.
and change are thus the undeniable truths of our existence.
What is real is the existing moment, the present that is a product
of the past, or a result of the previous causes and actions.
Because of ignorance, an ordinary mind conceives them all to
be part of one continuous reality. But in truth they are not.
various stages in the life of a man, the childhood, the adulthood,
the old age are not the same at any given time. The child is
not the same when he grows up and becomes a young man, nor when
the latter turns into an old man. The seed is not the tree,
though it produces the tree, and the fruit is also not the tree,
though it is produced by the tree.
concept of impermanence and continuous becoming is central to
early Buddhist teachings. It is by becoming aware of it, by
observing it and by understanding it, one can find a suitable
remedy for the sorrow of human life and achieve liberation from
the process of anicca or impermanence.