無常と人と世の真実
Impermanence and the Truth of Human Beings and the World
2024-06-03 18:00:00
Beginner practitioners of the Buddhist path might mistakenly believe that discerning the truth of human beings and the world is nothing other than understanding the impermanence of this world.
However, discerning the truth of human beings and the world should be done independently of the concept of impermanence.
The fundamental point is, as I wrote in the article on October 15, 2023, "By observing, discerning the truth of human beings and the world leads to a correct understanding of the root of suffering."
So, what is the meaning of impermanence as taught in Buddhism?
It teaches that everything in this world is impermanent, and thus, suffering is also impermanent. Therefore, it is assured that suffering can be eradicated.
Conversely, if everything in this world were not impermanent, suffering might not be impermanent either, and it could be something that cannot be eradicated.
However, everything in this world is impermanent, suffering can be eradicated, and this truth provides a significant foundation for the establishment of Buddhism.
Incidentally, the original Buddhist scriptures of Shakyamuni contain the following principle.
1091 When will I live alone, without companions, in a mountain cave, contemplating that all existence is impermanent? When will this thought of mine ever arise?
1092 When will I wear tattered cloth and a yellow robe, free from self-attachment and desires, as a sage, having eradicated greed, anger, and delusion, and live peacefully on the mountainside?
1093 When will I see this body as impermanent, a nest of killing and disease, afflicted by death and old age, and depart from fear to dwell alone in the forest? When will this ever happen? (Confession of a Disciple, Theragatha: Verses of the Elder Monks, translated by Hajime Nakamura, Iwanami Bunko)
Here, the ability of the practitioner to contemplate impermanence implies that they have already attained enlightenment (= liberation).
This is because the awareness of the impermanence of suffering is something only an enlightened person can possess.
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