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<p>The doctrine of impermanence found in the Pāli <i>sutta</i>s is commonly interpreted in a way that combines three distinct meanings: (1) things are constantly changing, (2) things have the nature to change and (3) things have the nature to appear and disappear. Adopting a phenomenological perspective, this article examines these different meanings in an attempt to clarify how the Pāli word <i>anicca</i> should be understood. I argue that it is only in the third of these statements that the intended meaning of impermanence is found, and that this meaning pertains to ontology, not chronology. By framing the concept of impermanence with respect to the Buddha's ontology, we are able to think of it in terms of the time-independent, a priori structures of our experience, rather than as a temporal process of things changing over time. This atemporal (<i>akālika</i>) interpretation of impermanence lies at the very core of the Buddha's teaching but, as I demonstrate, it is expressed in a variety of ways. By clarifying the meaning of impermanence, as it was intended by the Buddha, it becomes possible to understand what freedom from suffering is and how it can be achieved.</p>

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The Meaning of Impermanence in the Pāli Suttas

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月4日

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  • Bhikkhu Akiñcano

摘要

The doctrine of impermanence found in the Pāli suttas is commonly interpreted in a way that combines three distinct meanings: (1) things are constantly changing, (2) things have the nature to change and (3) things have the nature to appear and disappear. Adopting a phenomenological perspective, this article examines these different meanings in an attempt to clarify how the Pāli word anicca should be understood. I argue that it is only in the third of these statements that the intended meaning of impermanence is found, and that this meaning pertains to ontology, not chronology. By framing the concept of impermanence with respect to the Buddha's ontology, we are able to think of it in terms of the time-independent, a priori structures of our experience, rather than as a temporal process of things changing over time. This atemporal (akālika) interpretation of impermanence lies at the very core of the Buddha's teaching but, as I demonstrate, it is expressed in a variety of ways. By clarifying the meaning of impermanence, as it was intended by the Buddha, it becomes possible to understand what freedom from suffering is and how it can be achieved.