HARI RAYA RETREAT TALKS

CONTEMPLATION OF IMPERMANENCE (ANICCANUPASSANA)
In the practice of Insight meditation, we are constantly reminded to “see things as they really are”. This actually means training the mind to see the five aggregates of clinging according to reality. And the reality is their inherent nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self also known as the Three Universal Characteristics. Not seeing this reality in them, is ignorance, the root cause of suffering in Samsara.
You may ask, “But don’t we see this in the ordinary life without having to go into a meditative state?” Yes, but in a very superficial way which does not remove ignorance as the perception of permanence is still firmly embedded in the mind.
Let us take for example, the first characteristic; it is all too easy to assume one knows what impermanence is all about when one notices a flower in full bloom and a short while later it is drooping and wilting. Or after listening to a Dhamma talk by an eloquent speaker about the 3 Characteristics, one goes away thinking that one has fully understood the meaning of it. No matter how much one reads or talks about impermanence, one can never fully understand this reality as it results only in theoretical understanding which occurs at the conceptual level based on learning and reasoning (sutta and cinta maya panna). Therefore, one should not be complacent with this level of understanding.
This brings us to a very deep subject, one that is not so easily understood by those who have yet to experience the penetrative wisdom of insight meditation. The direct perception of reality is possible only with effort in the actual practice of insight meditation (vipassana bhavana). It is not within the domain of ordinary perception as it can only arise, associated with concentration, strong mindfulness and clear comprehension. This perception can be described as ‘direct perception by insight knowledge’ because it is experiential and does not involve any intellectual process of reasoning or thinking.
In this connection, let us recall how the Ven. Sariputta elaborated Buddha’s statement in Silavanta Sutta. The Ven. Kothhika asked Ven. Sariputta, “If a monk with sila wishes to attain Nibbana, what should he do?”
Ven. Sariputta replied, “The monk must keep his mind steadfastly on his five aggregates (khandhas) in order to perceive the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature of these khandhas. If he can do so, he will certainly achieve Sotapatti Magga.”
And how does one keep the mind steadfastly on the five aggregates? By the practice of vipassana meditation.
Below are notes taken mostly from a talk given by my teacher, Sayadaw U Panditabhivamsa in Yangon (20.3.96) which will give you a good idea about the manner in which impermanence is comprehended in vipassana practice starting with the mark of impermanence.
The Sign/Mark of Impermanence (Aniccalakkhana) - means the nature of not lasting, originating and perishing, undergoing transformation or change or decay. The yogi first begins to see the mark of impermanence at the third vipassana insight (Knowledge of Comprehension) where he can see the beginning, middle and end of the object. It is manifested in a more obvious manner, at the ‘tender’ stage of the Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away (Udaya Bhaya Nana). At this stage, the yogi sees the dissolution of the object after seeing the arising of it and before seeing the arising of the next object. The middle of the object is not discernible to him. As a result of this, the yogi may describe seeing segments or discrete units of rising and falling. He sees one phenomena ends before the other begins, disctinctly. He can be mindful of each object as they come and go, although the speed is very swift. This discernment is clearest in the contemplation of sensations; the sensation of pain or itchiness appears to move from one spot to another as the yogi notes it. He may report that the pain disappears on the spot where it arose only to give rise to another painful sensation in another spot. Having experienced this the yogi is convinced of the impermanent nature of the formations.
Prior to this experience, the personality or psycho-physical process was perceived as a compact mass. This erroneous perception is due to the rapidity of change in the psycho-physical process, beyond normal comprehension creating the illusion of continuity. It is too rapid for the ordinary undeveloped human faculties to comprehend. For example, when the light switch is turned on, darkness in the room vanishes instantly and is replaced by light but we cannot observe the light materiality originating from the bulb as it is too swift for us to perceive.
It is only through insight that the change in materiality and mentality can be comprehended.

Contemplation of Impermanence (Aniccanupassana)
With further refinement of mindfulness, following this stage, the yogi sees rising comprising of a series of rising whereas previously he saw only ‘one rising’, that is rising as a single whole. Similarly, with sound as the object, he perceives a series of discrete units of sound, each with its own beginning and end. For the yogi with keen insight, even thinking can be seen as occurring in a series of discrete units of thoughts. This experience is known as Aniccanupassana, the repeated observation associated with insight-knowledge, of the impermanence of the five aggregates. This perception is extraordinary as it arises only with mindfulness and clear comprehension through the exertion of special effort in vipassana practice. This is the effort of keeping one’s mindfulness steadfastly on the five aggregates so as to see its true nature. As soon as one perceives an object through any one of the six sense doors, one must be mindful of the consciousness connected with that object for eg. as seeing, hearing, smelling etc. There will be no thinking or likes or dislikes with regards to the objects and instead they would be perceived as disappearing as soon as they appear.
This perception is a radical shift from our habitual mode of perception – that of permanence which has been deeply embedded in our minds through innumerable past existences. It is no wonder when this perception occurs for the very first time, some yogis may be puzzled and would find difficulty in describing their experience. Nevertheless, they are able to recall this unique realization, for it had been perceived clearly in the mind, despite their initial inability to comprehend it in conventional terms. This clarity is the unmistakable feature of all genuine insight knowledges.
With the repetition of this knowledge, the yogi is even more convinced of the characteristic of impermanence. However, this is still considered the immature stage of the knowledge of rise and fall (Udaya Bhaya Nana) because the ten corruptions of vipassana (vipassanupakkilesa) can arise at this point, which may distract the yogi and weaken the contemplation of impermanence. The yogi who continues steadfastly in the contemplation without being affected by these corruptions of vipassana, would arrive at the mature stage of this knowledge. Getting over these obstacles is crucial to the yogi’s progress of insight knowledge and this is where the timely guidance and advice from an experienced teacher is much needed.

When the momentum of mindfulness picks up, this contemplation of impermanence is further strengthened and with the yogi no longer sees the discrete units of the object. Instead he sees only the ‘flow’ that is, the moment to moment change in a continuous manner as his notings become faster and more precise. This is the (Knowledge of Dissolution). The yogi is no longer concerned with the arising stage of the phenomena. There is precise attention on the present moment so it is difficult to know in conventional terms what the object is or if it is a mental or physical object. The yogi is only aware of the ‘flow’ going on uninterruptedly due the strong momentum of noting. This is a distinctive feature of good Vipassana Samadhi (also known as Vipassana Jhana). The mind is, as if fixed onto this characteristic of impermanence. This powerful contemplation is the driving force for the unfolding of the series of higher stages of insight knowledges right up to the realization of Nibbana.