The Recognition of Impermanence (Aniccasaññā)
When one thoroughly knows
The rise and fall of the aggregates,
He attains joy and gladness.
For those who know, that is death-free.
— Dhammapada 374
The recognition of impermanence is explained in AN 10.60 Girimānanda Sutta as follows:
Now what, Ānanda, is the recognition of impermanence? Here, Ānanda, a monk, gone to the wilderness, to the root of a tree, or to an empty place, discriminates thus: ‘Form is impermanent, feeling is impermanent, recognition is impermanent, fabrications are impermanent, consciousness is impermanent.’ Thus he abides contemplating impermanence with regard to the five clinging-aggregates. This, Ānanda, is called the recognition of impermanence.
This is expanded upon in SN 22.102 Aniccasaññā Sutta:
And how, monks, is the recognition of impermanence developed and cultivated so that it exhausts all passion for sensual pleasure, exhausts all passion for existence, exhausts all ignorance, exhausts and uproots all conceit of ‘I am’? ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away. Such is feeling, such its origin, such its passing away. Such is recognition, such its origin, such its passing away. Such are fabrications, such their origin, such their passing away. Such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’
This recognition of impermanence is also called the contemplation of rise and fall (udayabbayānupassinā) in MN 122. In both of these discourses we are being instructed to experientially understand and attend to each of the aggregates as they are present, and also reflect upon their conditional origin and cessation by giving thorough attention to specific conditionality (idappaccayatā). This is further explained in SN 22.57 Sattaṭṭhāna Sutta (abridged):
With the arising of nutriment there is the arising of form. With the cessation of nutriment there is the cessation of form. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of form.
The pleasure and happiness that arise in dependence on form: this is the allure of form. That form is impermanent, unsatisfactory, and subject to change: this is the drawback of form. The subduing and abandoning of desire and passion for form: this is the escape from form.
With the arising of contact there is the arising of feeling. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of feeling. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of feeling.
The pleasure and happiness that arise in dependence on feeling: this is the allure of feeling. That feeling is impermanent, unsatisfactory, and subject to change: this is the drawback of feeling. The subduing and abandoning of desire and passion for feeling: this is the escape from feeling.
With the arising of contact there is the arising of recognition. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of recognition. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of recognition.
The pleasure and happiness that arise in dependence on recognition: this is the allure of recognition. That recognition is impermanent, unsatisfactory, and subject to change: this is the drawback of recognition. The subduing and abandoning of desire and passion for recognition: this is the escape from recognition.
With the arising of contact there is the arising of fabrications. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of fabrications. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of fabrications.
The pleasure and happiness that arise in dependence on fabrications: this is the allure of fabrications. That fabrications are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and subject to change: this is the drawback of fabrications. The subduing and abandoning of desire and passion for fabrications: this is the escape from fabrications.
With the arising of name-and-form there is the arising of consciousness. With the cessation of name-and-form there is the cessation of consciousness. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of consciousness.
The pleasure and happiness that arise in dependence on consciousness: this is the allure of consciousness. That consciousness is impermanent, unsatisfactory, and subject to change: this is the drawback of consciousness. The subduing and abandoning of desire and passion for consciousness: this is the escape from consciousness.
It’s important to understand that it is the noble eightfold path which is the way leading to the cessation of the aggregates, and that our engagement with this path involves comprehending both the allure and drawbacks of the aggregates. After having recognized that the drawback in each case is that they are impermanent and can’t be relied upon, we can come to discern the escape from the aggregates, which consists of subduing and abandoning desire and passion for these bodily and mental processes. The method of contemplation to be reflected upon and then discerned in meditative composure is further explained in SN 22.5 Samādhi Sutta:
Monks, develop meditative composure. A monk who is composed in meditation discerns things as they really are. And what does he discern as it really is? The origin and passing away of form. The origin and passing away of feeling. The origin and passing away of recognition. The origin and passing away of fabrications. The origin and passing away of consciousness.
And what, monks, is the origin of form? What is the origin of feeling? What is the origin of recognition? What is the origin of fabrications? What is the origin of consciousness? Here monks, a monk seeks delight, welcomes, remains attached.
And what does one seek delight in, welcome, and remain attached to? One seeks delight in form, welcomes it, and remains attached to it. Due to seeking delight in form, welcoming it, and remaining attached to it, delight arises. Delight in form is clinging. With clinging as a condition, existence; with existence as a condition, birth; with birth as a condition, aging and death, sorrow, grieving, pain, unhappiness, and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this entire heap of unsatisfactoriness.
One seeks delight in feeling, welcomes it, and remains attached to it... One seeks delight in recognition, welcomes it, and remains attached to it... One seeks delight in fabrications, welcomes them, and remains attached to them... One seeks delight in consciousness, welcomes it, and remains attached to it. Due to seeking delight in consciousness, welcoming it, and remaining attached to it, delight arises. Delight in consciousness is clinging. With clinging as a condition, existence; with existence as a condition, birth; with birth as a condition, aging and death, sorrow, grieving, pain, unhappiness, and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this entire heap of unsatisfactoriness.
This, monks, is the origin of form, this is the origin of feeling, this is the origin of recognition, this is the origin of fabrications, this is the origin of consciousness.
And what, monks, is the passing away of form? What is the passing away of feeling? What is the passing away of recognition? What is the passing away of fabrications? What is the passing away of consciousness? Here monks, a monk does not seek delight, does not welcome, does not remain attached.
And what does one not seek delight in, not welcome, and not remain attached to? One does not seek delight in form, does not welcome it, and does not remain attached to it. Due to not seeking delight in form, not welcoming it, and not remaining attached to it, delight in form ceases. With the cessation of delight, the cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, the cessation of existence... Such is the cessation of this entire heap of unsatisfactoriness.
One does not seek delight in feeling, does not welcome it, and does not remain attached to it... One does not seek delight in recognition, does not welcome it, and does not remain attached to it... One does not seek delight in fabrications, does not welcome them, and does not remain attached to them... One does not seek delight in consciousness, does not welcome it, and does not remain attached to it. Due to not seeking delight in consciousness, not welcoming it, and not remaining attached to it, delight in consciousness ceases. With the cessation of delight, the cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, the cessation of existence... Such is the cessation of this entire heap of unsatisfactoriness.
This, monks, is the passing away of form, this is the passing away of feeling, this is the passing away of recognition, this is the passing away of fabrications, this is the passing away of consciousness.
The development of discernment includes understanding that the passing away of the aggregates results from not seeking delight in the aggregates, not welcoming and not remaining attached to them. This again emphasizes that it’s our engagement in, and development of the noble eightfold path which leads to the cessation of the aggregates. It also highlights the importance of frequently reflecting upon how specific conditionality pertains to our practice: “When this isn’t, that isn’t. From the cessation of this comes the cessation of that.”
Alteration and Change (Aññathatta & Vipariṇāma)
The recognition of impermanence requires the development of agile and refined discernment. And discernment requires skill in the analytical understanding of phenomena (dhammapaṭisambhidā) — which necessarily includes knowing and comprehending what is occurring as it occurs in one’s mind-stream (viññāṇasota). To this end, AN 4.41 Samādhibhāvanā Sutta instructs us on how to develop meditative composure which leads to mindfulness and full awareness:
And what, monks, is the development of meditative composure that, when developed and cultivated, leads to mindfulness and full awareness? Here, monks, feelings are known to a monk as they arise, known as they are present, known as they disappear. Recognitions are known to him as they arise, known as they are present, known as they disappear. Thoughts are known to him as they arise, known as they are present, known as they disappear. This, monks, is the development of meditative composure that, when developed and cultivated, leads to mindfulness and full awareness.
AN 7.38 Paṭhamapaṭisambhidā Sutta adds that one who is endowed with knowing feelings, recognitions, and thoughts as they arise, are present, and disappear will soon realize analytical understanding (paṭisambhidā) for himself through direct gnosis.
The subtlest recognition of impermanence pertains to the fluctuations of presently occurring fabrications. It’s important to understand that this recognition of impermanence attends to an object, and is therefore none other than a refinement of the recognition of that object through the development of discernment. SN 22.37 Ānanda Sutta:
Friends, with form an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned. With feeling an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned. With recognition an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned. With fabrications an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned. With consciousness an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned. These, friends, are things for which an arising is discerned, a falling away is discerned, and an alteration of what is present is discerned.
In the context of meditative composure, the recognition of impermanence and change pertaining to the object-basis (ārammaṇa) occurs when the development of clear seeing (vipassanābhāvanā) is conjoined with the development of calm (samathabhāvanā). For example, when engaging in mindfulness of breathing, the breath is the object-basis being attended to, and is the cause (nimitta) for the development of meditative composure (samādhi). As previously mentioned, the breath isn’t a static, unchanging thing. It’s in continual flux, changing from moment to moment as we breathe. And as the breath fluctuates and changes (vipariṇāmeti), the mind and mental factors which are attending to the breath also fluctuate and change. As the breath moves, the mind also moves.
It’s precisely because of the subtlety of the breath, and the interdependent relationship between the breath and the mind, that the breath is considered to be one of the best objects to attend to for the development of meditative composure. When our breathing is coarse, the mind reflects this. When our breathing is subtle and fine, the mind attending to the breath is likewise subtle and fine. And this is why the breath is also one of the most suitable objects to attend to for the development of clear seeing. As the mind attends to the breath and both become more and more refined and subtle, this process offers an ideal situation for simultaneously developing clear seeing pertaining to these progressively subtle fabrications.
And this same development of meditative composure, mindfulness, and full awareness is to be continued without interruption in each of the four jhānas. MN 111 Anupada Sutta informs us that this is the clear seeing of phenomena one by one as they occur (anupadadhammavipassanā):
Now Sāriputta’s clear seeing of phenomena one by one as they occurred was this:
Whatever phenomena there are in the first jhāna: directed thought, evaluation, joy, pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, recognition, intention, mind, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention; he analyzed these phenomena one by one as they occurred. Known to him they arose, known they were present, known they disappeared. He discerned, ‘So this is how these phenomena, not having been, come to arise. Having been, they vanish.’
Regarding those phenomena, he remained unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with a mind rid of barriers.
Just as the breath fluctuates and changes as it’s being experienced, the mental factors occurring within jhāna also undergo continual alteration and change. The concomitant jhāna factors of joy and pleasure fluctuate even while being experienced. They don’t remain static. There is no stasis that can be experientially discerned when these phenomena are occurring. And when one refines one’s discernment (paññā) to where one is aware of this alteration, then the alteration of recognition (saññā) is also discernible.
While abiding in jhāna, we can clearly see the subtlest recognition of impermanence of the mind and concomitant mental factors present in jhāna. This subtle level of change is indicated in SN 35.93 Dutiyadvaya Sutta:
The mind is impermanent, changing, becoming otherwise; phenomena are impermanent, changing, becoming otherwise. Thus this dyad is moving (calañceva) and wavering (byathañca), impermanent (aniccaṃ), changing (vipariṇāmi), becoming otherwise (aññathābhāvi).
Consciousness is reflexive — meaning that consciousness can be fully aware of the mental factors present without any need to “step back” and engage in a separate cognitive process in order to do so. As the development of clear seeing matures, clear seeing becomes reflexive. The meditating mind directly discerns the process of knowing itself. This requires a highly refined meditative composure, one in which the reflexiveness of the mind and cognitive factors becomes apparent. Comprehension is essential for this development and refinement of the mental factor of vipassanā. The soteriological purpose of integral meditative composure (sammāsamādhi) as part of the noble path is just this mental development (bhāvanā) which culminates in gnosis.
AN 7.49 Dutiyasaññā Sutta:
‘The recognition of impermanence, monks, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and benefit; it merges with the death-free, has the death-free as its end.’ Thus it was said. In reference to what was it said?
Monks, when a monk’s mind frequently remains acquainted with the recognition of impermanence, his mind shrinks away from, recoils, pulls back, and is not drawn toward gain and honor and fame, and either equanimity or dislike are established. Monks, just as a cock’s feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away, recoils, pulls back, and is not drawn in; in the same way, when a monk’s mind frequently remains acquainted with the recognition of impermanence, his mind shrinks away from, recoils, pulls back, and is not drawn toward gain and honor and fame, and either equanimity or dislike are established.
If, monks, when a monk’s mind frequently remains acquainted with the recognition of impermanence, his mind inclines toward gain and honor and fame, or if admiration continues, then he should know, ‘I have not developed the recognition of impermanence, there is no stepwise distinction in me, I have not obtained the strength of development.’ In that way he is fully aware there. But if, monks, when a monk’s mind frequently remains acquainted with the recognition of impermanence, his mind shrinks away from, recoils, pulls back, and is not drawn toward gain and honor and fame, and either equanimity or dislike are established, then he should know, ‘I have developed the recognition of impermanence, there is stepwise distinction in me, I have obtained the strength of development.’ In that way he is fully aware there.
‘The recognition of impermanence, monks, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and benefit; it merges with the death-free, has the death-free as its end.’ Thus it was said. And in reference to this it was said.
The Recognition of Impermanence and the Seven Factors of Awakening (Satta Bojjhaṅgā)
Sustained, dedicated practice of the recognition of impermanence will gradually create the optimal conditions for the arising of all seven factors of awakening. SN 46.71 Anicca Sutta (abridged):
Here monks, a monk develops the awakening factor of mindfulness accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of dhamma-investigation accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of energy accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of joy accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of tranquility accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of meditative composure accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of equanimity accompanied by the recognition of impermanence, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go.
It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and benefit. It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that one of two fruits is to be expected: either final gnosis in this very life or, if there is a residue of clinging, the state of nonreturning. It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it leads to great good. It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it leads to great security from bondage. It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it leads to a great sense of urgency. It is in this way that the recognition of impermanence is developed and cultivated so that it leads to dwelling in great comfort.
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