Special Topics
The Sutra on Impermanence – The Teachings of Impermanence
The earth, the sun, and the moon will perish in due time. Nothing escapes impermanence's grasp. –Excerpt from the Sutra on Impermanence Flowers bloom and wither; day turns into night. Even in one breath, thoughts arise and fade away. Aging, sickness, and death… impermanence is woven into the very fabric of our daily life. Are you aware of it, or are you turning a blind eye to it? We often mistake everything in life for the eternal. On the presupposition th...
Contemplation of the Mind in Practicing Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, also known as the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, is a fundamental Buddhist practice and the first of the Thirty-seven Factors of Enlightenment. The practice of Four Foundations of Mindfulness is to become aware of the continual creation and decay (kṣaṇabhaṅga), impermanence, suffering (duḥkha), and no-self (anātman) through contemplating the four aspects of body, feeling, mind, and phenomena. Among the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, contemp...
Living in Impermanence – Embrace Impermanence with an Even Mind
Back in his early days as a layperson, Ven. Chang Chi (常持法師) was once troubled by life due to its impermanence. After becoming a monastic, he has constantly witnessed the aging, illness, and death of people through his work of visiting dying patients. The venerable shared that impermanence is a reality of the world. By constantly and thoroughly acknowledging impermanence, we will realize that it is a stranger we are most familiar with. But if we turn a blind eye to it, we will remain obli...
A Brief Introduction to the Sutra on Impermanence
The Chinese version of the Sutra on Impermanence was translated by Ven. Yijing (義淨法師, 635-713 CE) at the Dafuxian Temple (大福先寺) in Luoyang, China. The sutra focuses on the truth of impermanence, which is manifested in aging, illness, and death, from which no one can escape. Therefore, the Buddha appeared in the world to expound the path to liberation for the sake of sentient beings. The Sutra on Impermanence is also known as the Three Passages (三啟), the Sutra of Three Passa...
Learning the Contemplation on Impermanence from the Masters
Master Class for Living with Impermanence Impermanence is a reality known to all, but why do we still feel distressed when it strikes? Let us learn from the teachings of Ajahn Chah, Thích Nhất Hạnh, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Master Sheng Yen, on how to look through the incessant change of everything and recognize the reality, amidst the arising and ceasing of lives, and the transient ups and downs along its course. Learning and applying their ways to approach impe...