January 1, 2018
Interwoven with the list of the five aggregates, which describes what we cling to in every kind of experience, is a short list of three characteristics of all phenomena: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and selflessness. The Buddha would teach them in order, like a logical proposition: everything changes, so grasping is both fruitless and painful, and nothing that constantly changes can be a reliable identity. Our practice with the three characteristics is to explore ongoing experience with mindfulness, see impermanence and suffering first-hand, and feel the implications for who we think we are.