impermanence, suffering and anatta

Vincenzi

in simple words, how do you explain tri-laksana?

TheJourney

No permanent lasting truth or "right way."

Vincenzi

impermanence: as time goes on, everything fades or changes // eternalism is wrong view.

suffering: for samsaraputra*, living implies moments of suffering // positivism※ and salvationism・ are wrong view.

anātman: the (brahmi/hindu) explanation of soul/ātman is naive // egocentrism, atomism and anthropocentrism are wrong view.

*samsaric beings, children of suffering, wanderers of samsara

※including cornucopianism (child of industrialism and techonological paradises delusions)

・any religion or philosophy that worships or follows, usually blindly, a mesiah/saviour

Vincenzi

No permanent lasting truth or "right way."

and as explanations for the present?

TheJourney

No permanent lasting truth or "right way."

and as explanations for the present?

I'm not sure I know what you mean. In a way you could say that there is an existing truth, because it's what keeps everything in existence, but really it just is that existence, and that existence is ever-changing. So therefore there's nothing that you could say it is, but yet it kind of is. Because it kind of is, the present moment exists.

Jason

in simple words, how do you explain tri-laksana?

When it comes to the four noble truths, one of the main things to be understood in the comprehension of the first noble truth is that, what are called the three characteristics of existence (tilakkhana) are present throughout the most discernible aspects of our experience on top of which we construct our sense of self (i.e., the five aggregates). To put it simply:

Whatever is inconstant (anicca), whatever is unstable and subject to change, is stressful, unsatisfactory (dukkha). To hold onto anything that's inconstant, subject to change, break-up and dissolution is a cause for mental stress, suffering. And whatever is inconstant, stressful and subject to change isn't fit to be regarded as self (anatta). When this is penetrated and thoroughly understood by the mind, the mind experiences dispassion (viraga) and ceases to cling to that which is inconstant, and by its very nature stressful, as a self. The mind becomes free of self-view (sakkaya-ditthi) and achieves liberation by no longer clinging to false refuges that are neither fixed nor stable.

DairyLama

in simple words, how do you explain tri-laksana?

Dukkha arises because we don't see the truth of anicca and anatta.

P

zenff

in simple words, how do you explain tri-laksana?

Buddha explained it in the Flower Sermon (in which instead of explaining anything at all he just stood silently for a few minutes, then held up a flower.)

At least that’s my interpretation of it.

A flower is obviously impermanent, imperfect and not-self. That’s what makes it precious, more precious than a diamond.
The tri-laksana are the three reasons for cherishing life and all things as they are.

DhammaDhatu

Due to inherent impermanence, being subject to decay & dissolution (aniccata), things inherently possess the quality unsatisfactoriness, imperfection, unreliablity, incapacity to provide lasting happiness or refuge (dukkhata).

Due to inherent impermanence & unsatisactoriness of all conditioned things, of all mind & matter, things cannot be taken to be a (lasting) self nor are they fit to be regarded as or possessed as "mine".

Things are 'not-self' (anattata), 'not-mine', 'not-ours', 'not-yours' because they are subject to inevitable decay & dissolution regardless of any efforts to possess and hold onto them.

Further, any 'possessor', of say the permanent, namely, Nibbana, is also subject to impermanence because any 'possessor' is a mental formation.

Vincenzi

in simple words, how do you explain tri-laksana?

Dukkha arises because we don't see the truth of anicca and anatta.

P

this is one of the best replies ^^