Contemplating Uncertainty ('Anicca')

'Anicca', normally translated as 'impermanence', also means 'not sure', 'uncertain', 'unreliable'. We may feel some temporary relief by denying the unreliable nature of conditions, but in the end, reality will always catch up with us, and then we will suffer a lot. A better approach is to acknowledge uncertainty and to contemplate it, until our insight is deep enough that it leads to dispassion and letting go.

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Transcript

We are entering a time of heightened uncertainty and one can sense there is a feeling of uncertainty in the community because uncertainty doesn't feel nice,

Isn't it?

Do you like to have a reliable supply of money working every day,

Every month,

Every week,

You get your money and you go to the supermarket and you can buy food,

There is food in your fridge Usually as a human being we are making a big effort to have things stable stable relationship,

That is a natural tendency which we are trying to do keeping our health stable However,

The reality has an opposite characteristic The Buddha used the term Anicca,

It is often translated as impermanent but it is much wider in meaning,

It also means unreliable it means not certain,

It means not truer Not truer was Ajahn Chah's favorite translation for Anicca something you can't really rely on,

It comes different from what you expect and even if it comes the way you expect it,

Then it changes and turns into unexpected or the other way around,

Or neither of the two,

It is very hard to predict uncertain means hard to predict Do you occasionally check the weather report?

Will it be raining tomorrow,

Will it be hot tomorrow?

Is it always accurate?

Are you happy when it is totally different than predicted?

Maybe if it is better,

Then we are happy,

But often one complains On that walk you have your little party or barbie or the barbecue and then suddenly the thunderstorm comes down or the predicted fine weather This is Anicca,

This is unreliable,

This is unpredictable unpredictable We are so addicted to stability that we even distort our perception and that we tend to expect and to see things which are unreliable,

Unpredictable uncertain,

Unsure and impermanent that we see them as permanent,

That we convince ourselves and others that this is stable,

Reliable and that is a huge delusion that is a sign of avidja,

Of ignorance So when we are mistakenly assuming that things are stable,

Reliable and that I can control things and work it all out and predict it psychologically that may feel somewhat nice to have that delusion The problem is that it is not in agreement with reality and reality will always catch up with us and we will experience that our own body is impermanent,

Unstable We will experience that the bodies of loved ones are unstable,

Impermanent and they may die on us,

They may be taken away from us by death We can't even predict when that is going to happen The same with our feelings,

Our emotions Anything which we observe in our mind,

If you will notice,

It is changing It is not reliable,

It is often also quite unpredictable what kind of emotions,

Feelings will arise So for a Dhamma practitioner,

Whenever there are external periods of dramatic change,

Uncertainty that can be useful to shake us out of our delusion to overcome that vipar lasa,

The Buddha called it vipar lasa anicca nicca sannyas the distortion of perception,

The distortion of view and thinking that we think,

View and see what is unstable and unreliable as stable and permanent like this body This is why we are so shocked or surprised if we go to the doctor we may feel fine and then we go to the doctor,

You get a check up and suddenly there is a problem and then a big,

Big shock because we thought we can rely on this body to be healthy and to last which is in a sense a curious assumption as we cannot find a single person even in the Guinness Book who has ever lived in a beyond hundred twenty about So there can be a benefit to get shaken out of that because the one result of mistakenly taking things for permanent and reliable is that we are attaching to them,

That we are clinging to them that we are identifying with them,

That we are grasping at them and taking them as me and mine It's like when you buy a car,

Have you ever bought a used car?

Maybe you don't have much money and you have to buy an old bomb of a car twenty year old Honda or something and then you go and check that car out and maybe you are quite knowledgeable in terms of car mechanics and this is a good offer,

The car is really cheap but then you check it out and you come to the conclusion that this car will probably not even make it to your home before it falls apart even if the price is quite attractive,

Would you buy a car which is already so old and damaged that you are not quite sure if it completely falls apart even before it arrives at your home,

Would you buy that?

No one would want to buy that,

No one would want to own that no one would want to claim possession and say this is my car no one would want to cling to it and grasp at it How about our bodies?

Some used car scam guy looks like a used body scam guy and has somehow tricked us into us believing that this body is worthwhile to own,

To possess to cling to,

To grasp at,

To claim that this is me,

My body,

This is I or that it may fall apart very quickly and we know for sure if it doesn't fall apart very quickly,

It will still fall apart quite soon So we can notice the delusion,

The distorted perception of seeing things as permanent,

Reliable and stable leads to attachment,

Identification,

Clinging and grasping Next we can investigate what is the result of identifying clinging and grasping For example you buy that car because you are not very smart in terms of car mechanics and you didn't notice that it is already falling apart and you pay money,

You don't have much but you pay and then you drive off and before you arrive at your home that thing starts falling apart,

The wheels turn off,

The motor stops and when you call the mechanics they tell you,

I am sorry,

This is nothing we can do this thing is basically just a heap of trash Would you feel happy then?

You would be upset,

You would be disappointed,

You would be sad and why?

Because after you bought it you thought it is my car,

You had a sense of ownership you wanted to use that car,

You had all these plans So what we notice,

The distorted perception,

The vipar lasa that things are reliable and stable this leads to clinging,

Attachment,

Grasping and clinging,

Attachment,

Grasping leads to disappointment,

Sadness and suffering when these things turn out to be unreliable according to reality because it doesn't go according to our distorted perception,

It doesn't go according to our delusions we cannot face the world in a deluded state forever,

It may work a while but at some stage in reality it will get through to us and then comes another disappointment,

The suffering So now we are smarter after we contemplate it like that and we don't buy into that distorted perception,

We don't take things to be permanent and stable and reliable we contemplate this body as unreliable and impermanent and one day dying and the elements are just going with nature we contemplate the same for our feelings,

For our possessions,

For our loved ones so we are overcoming at least partially that vipar lasa,

That distortion what is the result of that,

What is the consequence of that?

Once you can clearly see that this body is something completely unreliable I don't even know whether this body will still be working tomorrow,

Whether I wake up,

Whether I die in my sleep even anyone I know,

I wouldn't know,

I can't even tell whether my father is alive right now I spoke to him only a few days ago but if he contemplated I couldn't tell it for sure so if I do these contemplations and I overcome the distortion of seeing things as permanent and reliable what will be the consequence?

I will not attach to this body,

I will not try to own this body,

I will not grasp it,

I will not cling to this body because now I see this body doesn't last anyhow this is the result of that contemplation Anatta,

The non-self No,

Anatta is connected with that,

That is another delusion and they are closely connected because if something is permanent and reliable in the absolute sense then this would be a suitable self it would be a point regarding that as self but why would anyone in their white mind regard something that is unreliable,

Changing and just giving us disappointment?

Why would anyone in their white mind want to regard that as safe,

Grasp that as safe?

So this is why the Buddha wants us to contemplate not safe and uncertain,

Unsure and permanent so that we can let go and that we don't grasp at it and what is the result if we let go,

If we don't grasp,

We don't cling?

This is the peace now if we don't cling,

If we don't grasp,

If we let go,

Then we will have peace then we won't have disappointment and suffering and this is what the Buddha intends sometimes when people hear about the teaching and they hear about contemplating that I will die one day,

My loved ones and so on,

That may sound scary or it may sound depressive but the complete misunderstanding is not meant at all to make us depressed it is just to overcome the delusion so that we are no longer grasping and clinging and if we are not grasping and clinging then when this change according to reality occurs we can't prevent it by our delusions we can for some period not try to deny it and not see it but reality will always get through to us at some stage and then comes the suffering but if we follow that instruction of the Buddha and we contemplate impermanence and we do not grasp then the suffering doesn't come,

Then the disappointment doesn't come then the pain doesn't come,

Then we are not panicky when we are moving up from zero infections a day to ten or twenty or even a hundred there is no fear overwhelming our heart because we are not so attached and if we may not be able to do that completely let's say letting go of all attachment to the body in a very advanced stage of practice but it already works gradually if we can let go a little bit then we will already have a little bit less suffering if we can let go a lot then we will have a lot less suffering and if we can let go completely we will have no suffering at all Dispassion can come to see the suffering Dispassion,

Sometimes the Buddha explains the different steps in that causal chain more elaborately Dispassion is usually in Pali,

In Viraga and is usually described as a result of Nipida,

Disenchantment or repulsion and disenchantment is a result of seeing things as they truly are and I gave one example of seeing things as they truly are,

Namely as unreliable it may not originally feel so nice,

The delusion can sometimes feel nicer until reality hits and then all the big suffering comes but if we can see things as they truly are,

Namely as impermanent,

Unreliable and we actually do get the disenchantment and then the vivaga,

The dispassion and then the vimutti,

The letting go that is when you get the real benefit because then you don't suffer when impermanence actually happens or if the understanding is limited then at least we suffer only to a limited extent Ok,

Here is a question,

The school has just finished,

They are in holidays now here in Queensland and some kids are very elated,

Very happy because they had good marks,

They scored high other kids are down depressed because they had bad marks,

They scored low the first thing which comes to mind,

What we just talked about,

Being elated and being depressed this is also something uncertain,

Something changing,

Something unpredictable and whether it's your scores card in school or your reports at work or whether it's weather or anything,

We will always have our mind going up and down win and lose is the worldly dhamma and high scores,

Low scores,

High scores like winning,

Low scores like losing and these worldly dhammas,

They will always change and turn around so I would recommend the kids who are very elated to contemplate that these things can change maybe next year they may have a girlfriend or a boyfriend the next year and get a little bit distracted and don't do all the swatting and then the marks go down and then the next year they may get very dejected so it's good not to get too much carried away by that elation and particularly not to get carried away by conceit or arrogance I'm the,

How do you call that,

The top performer in class,

There's a name for that the ducks,

I'm the ducks and these others are fools and you don't get carried away like that,

Maybe contemplate that can change or maybe if you're top performing in mathematics and maybe even physics and then you go to university and you study mathematics and every single person there is a top performer and suddenly you're no longer top and you find that there's some other guy who is just so outrageously better and can be quite disappointing then,

These are all things can change so if we contemplate in a uncertain not sure then by good marks we don't get carried away too much and I recommend the kids who are disappointed and down and dejected but I would recommend those kids to contemplate that it's all impermanent and if in the next year they put in more effort,

They study diligently they may come out with good marks and then they are the elated ones so all of that,

The marks have to be contemplated as impermanent,

Unreliable,

Not sure but also just your general emotions,

It always goes up and down it's a little bit like when you come from Kenmore's side to Damagibi a few people coming in from Kenmore or do you all come via Ipswich Motorway?

You may have noticed that before you arrive in Kawanadowns there is almost like a roller coaster,

It goes up and down like this a few times I'm very happy about that because then you can start your contemplations already on the way here and continue them on the way back,

Up and down,

Up and down happy,

Unhappy,

Happy,

Unhappy this is normal in life,

Winning,

Losing Australia did really well at the ashes they smashed England,

Don't get carried away too much because it's not yet over was it over?

No,

No there are five in the series,

So next one will turn away the other way round and if you are too elated now,

Then you will be awfully dejected and if you are poking too much fun at the promis then they will take revenge,

Then England wins and probably even more fun at you as if you keep more balanced,

Then these disappointments and things will not happen I'm confused that the parents will get disappointed by all that,

Please because they get upset very good comment here,

Often it's actually the parents who get more elated and depressed than the kids due to the marks of the kids,

And I totally agree so parents should contemplate they may not be able to control exactly what marks the kids are getting and if you are getting so elated or so upset about bad marks and so elated about good marks that you are pulling the thumb screws on the kid on a maximum level the kid may even end up becoming suicidal and worse these cases happen,

This shows the danger in getting too much carried away by that I'm just saying,

The matter is done exactly,

You have to encourage them,

But always keeping the matter the loving kindness,

Always still indicating and showing that you've got their back no matter what they do in school or what the performance is,

But you encourage them,

You support them occasionally push them a bit,

Some need that but you will be much better in doing that encouragement in the most skillful and beneficial way if your happiness or total depression doesn't depend on the marks of the kid there's a tremendous burden on the child,

If the child feels the happiness or misery of my parents and maybe even plus four grandparents,

Depends exclusively on me and my performance you wouldn't want to put that on to anyone I heard that in China can happen a lot because Chinese culture is very strong on scholarly learning and studying and then with the one child policy you can have the situation there's one child which has got only two parents and has got four grandparents and you have six people who have now this one child as the very center of their whole life and that one child has to live up to the expectations of six people that can be really crushing if it is just getting the love and affection of six people in a grade but if there's no very tough expectations so we contemplate the passing and failing,

Winning and losing happy and dejected,

Praise and blame,

That's another one when they praise you,

Contemplate,

Very uncertain and the people who have praised you next year,

They may blame you last year they were all clapping for people in medical profession they see a very different what's happening now so praise and blame is changing a lot and then also fame and obscurity how many followers have you got on your Instagram?

Don't have Instagram?

This is very smart because if you have Instagram and you have many followers you will be very dejected if they suddenly move to someone else and inevitably that's going to happen because at some age you will no longer have the appearance of an Instagram influencer you will not be able at age 50 or 80 to put up the beautiful photos for which they like you so much fame and obscurity,

Facebook followers,

Views on your YouTube channel TikTok,

Do you do TikTok?

Amazing!

I have to praise these parents are you okay with it?

Yeah,

Yeah,

It's so addictive and so many people get completely lost in that even in ancient Roman times that was considered the highest happiness a human being can attain when they have that triumph in Rome,

The winning the battle and then the whole population is cheering them on that really goes to one's head and even people who are as famous as it gets,

Someone like Michael Jackson or Madonna or movie stars Keanu Reeves and all these famous movie stars,

They often are under pressure because even if you are at the top,

Most of us would be very impressed if you can play some music and you have gotten a thousand people coming to listen to you playing the piano or something Amazing!

A thousand people listening to you For Michael Jackson,

If he has a big concert and a thousand people come do you think he would be happy about that?

Apart from that he has passed away now,

But when he was alive for him that would be a total failure for him probably 50,

000 in a stadium that holds 100,

000 would be a total failure But if you contemplate impermanence and the change,

You are not getting stuck on it Let us all contemplate how things are unstable,

How they are impermanent and then you are not feeling afraid and shaky and things go up But I still have to mention the maybe most important thing because if you only contemplate that things are impermanent and even if you can let go,

It is still not very satisfactory But the real amazing thing is there is something that is not impermanent there is something that is not unsure,

That is not changing What is it?

Nibbana,

Exactly,

The asankatha,

The unconditioned So when we contemplate impermanence anicca and keep in mind ultimately we are doing that to go beyond anicca and it is possible and has been done by countless thousands of enlightened beings since the Buddha discovered it just in this dispensation So it is not only to contemplate impermanence so that I resign myself to something I can't change It is not resignation,

Not at all We are not resigning ourselves to impermanence That is a misunderstanding I also encounter People think that we just contemplate it because we can't change it and so we resign ourselves to it No,

What we try to do is to go beyond impermanence like parayana,

To go beyond the fersho,

The fathasro,

The farsho We are going beyond anything that is unstable,

Impermanent,

Changing and therefore dukkha,

Going beyond dukkha,

Going beyond death That is the other thing I like to remind everyone when you are getting a little bit shaky now what is going to happen here in Queensland The way to the deathless is open and rather than feeling now shaky or worrying or panicky let us all use that as an incentive to practice more diligently and when you watch the news now and maybe the cases go up,

Up,

Up,

Up,

Up daily infections up,

Up,

Up,

Up,

Up what do you do?

Don't get panicky,

Don't get afraid but sit down,

Meditate,

Keep your precepts develop generosity and in particular contemplate focus your mind in samadhi and then contemplate that this body is not you but just an impermanent conglomerate of elements so that you can let go and that you can now ultimately reach that state beyond impermanence beyond dukkha,

Beyond death,

Beyond sickness,

Beyond new birth It's there,

It's right there for the taking You don't even have to go anywhere to get that because where do you go to get Nibbana?

It's not a place to go to,

You can't even if you have a Ferrari or even if you have one of these SpaceX or what the billionaires are doing now you don't have to envy the billionaires for that they can't fly to Nibbana either Where is Nibbana?

Here and now,

Right in your heart in this body to fathom long or fathom high and endowed with perception and consciousness right in there is the end of suffering to be found and can be found so we are not getting scared now when things become more uncertain when there is sickness and death occurring but we use that to practice more diligently,

With more commitment we use that to sit down and calm the mind and then to contemplate impermanence so that the mind can let go that's all we have to do if you see that clearly and your mind can let go of just everything,

Completely,

The heart just lets go and there is no more problem with COVID or any other disease there is no more problem with absolutely anything your heart is free and totally at ease it can be done so whenever panic strikes you or anxiety or apprehension and just remember that the deathless,

The Buddha experience and all the great Kumbha Ajahn it can be experienced right there in your heart Does the mind ever die?

Now the mind,

What is called consciousness will normally connect to new bodies and then continue,

Attached to a body and the Buddha sometimes gives the simile for consciousness like a diamond or some jewel where someone has put a string onto it that you can hold it the string is like the body and the diamond is like consciousness but it's possible for consciousness,

Not to die but it's possible for consciousness to be totally free and released one simile the Buddha gave is like a light beam for example,

Sometimes in the early morning we have the sunlight shining in and if the sunlight shines in,

Where will it manifest?

On the floor,

Usually,

When the sun shines in and you will see the light on the floor now imagine if you didn't have this timber floor and the light shines in,

Would it manifest?

Would it be established?

On the soil underneath if there was no soil underneath and nothing underneath then it would just not be established anywhere if a light beam doesn't hit anything then it would be unestablished that is one simile the Buddha has given for consciousness it is an apatitita,

Unestablished non-manifest,

However you want to call it the liberated heart the freed mind,

The vimuttacitta unestablished consciousness we can't describe it,

In the way of describing it

Reviews

I love the way Ajahn Dhammasiha explains things. Much gratitude Ajahn 🙏🏼🧘🏻‍♂️

Sadhu sadhu sadhu 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼