Buddhism
The Human Condition
Today, we’re going to
learn...
...what Taylor Swift has in
common with the Buddha.
(not a huge deal)
Learning Intentions
By the end of the lesson I will...
1. Understand two of the Three Marks of
Existence.
2. Understand the Five Skhandas
Once he became Enlightened,
and knew the truth about human
beings, the Buddha said there
were three things which
characterised life.
The Three Marks of Existence
Imagine you’re walking home
from school one day, minding
your own business…
All of a sudden your feel
this strange tugging feeling
like you’re being pulled off
the ground.
You look up and realise
there’s a massive spaceship
above you that’s pulling you
towards it.
You’re scared and realise
you’ll need a new pair of
shorts.
You get onto the ship and are confronted by a scary
looking alien, with a clipboard. He and his pal say they
wants to ask you some questions about Humans.
Do you like your juice to
have bits or no bits?
Why are you all so
hairy?
The aliens want to know what life on Earth is like for
humans. They’ve tried watching our TV to get an idea, but
all they’ve seen is two people...and they seem very odd...
They were unsure whether these two were
representative of humans.
The aliens have one simple question they want the
answer to:
What is life on Earth like?
In pairs, decide how you would answer it.
Choose three things which you think explain human
life perfectly.
Write them in your jotters.
Here’s how the Buddha would
have answered the aliens...
“The Three Marks of Existence”
The First Mark
Can you guess from these picture?
The First Mark
The first mark is called Anicca. It means that everything
changes. Nothing ever stays the same especially the good
stuff. That’s why we say “all good things come to an end”.
What seems permanent is just an illusion.
Hiya, my name’s Mark, Mark
Anicca. My girlfriend just dumped
me and booted me out the house.
I love her so much but she doesn’t
love me. She said it was just time
for a change.
The First Mark
Rearrange this word to get a fancy term for anicca:
pimemarnence
Clue:
Task 1 - Everything has changed
Make a list of 5 things that have changed since yesterday.
o They can be good or not so good.
o They can have changed a huge amount, or just a tiny wee bit, it
doesn’t matter.
o They can be near or very far away, important or insignificant.
Work in Pairs
The Second Mark
The Second Mark
The second mark is Anatta, that people change. That
doesn’t sound very interesting, but what Buddhists
mean is that everything about us changes. If that’s
true then there really can’t be a you. It’s just an
illusion that you are who you think you are.
Ahh!! I’m Mark, Mark Anatta. I’ve
just heard that I don’t exist cos I’m
changing all the time. Ahh!! It’s
terrible. I thought I had a good sense
of humour and I was a good dancer.
But now I realise that I don’t…
...COS I DON’T EXIST
Buddhists believe that the self is impermanent. There is no
lasting individual person because we are ever changing.
Agghh!!!!!!
Task 2
Don’t believe me? OK, try and
think of something about you,
that doesn’t change over time.
Go on, try!
Work in pairs
4 Minutes
The Five Skhandas
Buddhists don’t want you to just take their word for it.
Buddhist teaching says that everyone is made up of five
factors. None of them stay the same over time.
1.Rupa – The physical body
2.Vedana – Sensations and feelings
3.Sankhara – Character traits (likes and dislikes)
4.Sanna – Cognitions (thoughts and memories)
5.Vinnana – Consciousness (being awake)
1.Rupa – The physical body
2. Vedana – Sensations and feelings
3. Sankhara – Character traits (likes and dislikes)
4. Sanna – Cognitions (thoughts and memories)
5. Vinnana – Consciousness (being awake)
Every cell in your body
changes over a period
of 7 Years. There is
nothing that is the
same, not your eyes, or
you brain.
So in what way are
you the same
person that you
were 7, or even 15
years ago?
Question
It’s hard to argue with Mark Anicca, that everything
in the world changes.
But Mark Anatta seems to be a bit of a headcase.
Do you agree that there is no such thing as you?
Use the structure:
Some think...
Others think...
I think...
Yesterday we learned two of the
Three Marks of Existence
Answer the following questions in full
sentences in your jotter.
1. a) What is the name of the 1st Mark of
Existence?
b) What does it mean?
2. a) What is the name of the 2nd Mark of
Existence?
b) What does it mean?
The First Mark
Everything changes
(Impermanence)
Hiya, my name’s Mark, Mark
Anicca. My girlfriend just dumped
me and booted me out the house.
I love her so much but she doesn’t
love me. She said it was just time
for a change.
The Second Mark
People change
Ahh!! I’m Mark, Mark Anatta. I’ve
just heard that I don’t exist cos I’m
changing all the time. Ahh!! It’s
terrible. I thought I had a good sense
of humour and I was a good dancer.
But now I realise that I don’t…
...COS I DON’T EXIST
Example
The Five Skhandas
Buddhist teaching says that everyone is made up of five
factors. None of them stay the same over time.
1. Rupa – The physical body
2. Vedana – Sensations and feelings
3. Sankhara – Character traits (likes and dislikes)
4. Sanna – Cognitions (thoughts and memories)
5. Vinnana – Consciousness (being awake)
1.Rupa – The physical body
2. Vedana – Sensations and feelings
3. Sankhara – Character traits (likes and dislikes)
4. Sanna – Cognitions (thoughts and memories)
5. Vinnana – Consciousness (being awake)
Every cell in your body
changes over a period
of 7 Years. There is
nothing that is the
same, not your eyes, or
you brain.
So in what way are
you the same
person that you
were 7, or even 15
years ago?
Nagasena
A man called Nagasena
tried to explain anatta
through an analogy.
He used an analogy
about a chariot.
Nagasena asks
if the pole of
the chariot is
the chariot.
Answer, no.
Nagasena asks if
the axel is the
chariot or if the
wheels are the
chariot. Answer,
no.
Nagasena asks if
the reins are the
chariot. Answer:
no.
Nagasena claims that there is no such thing as
the chariot. “Chariot” is just a word we give all
its parts when put together in this way.
It is the same with the self. We think there is
such a thing as the self, but really we are just
a collection of parts.
Like a chair or a chariot, every part of us (each
of the 5 Skhandas) changes all the time. If
every part of us changes, are we really the
same person we were?
Question
It’s hard to argue with Mark Anicca, that everything
in the world changes.
But Mark Anatta seems to be a bit of a headcase.
Do you agree that there is no such thing as you?
Use the structure:
Some think...
Others think...
I think...
What does
this picture
make you
think of?
The Third Mark
The Third Mark
The third mark of existence is Dukkha. This basically
means suffering. Buddhists believe that suffering is a
result of anicca and anatta. We want everything to
stay the same, but because everything changes, we
suffer.
I’m Mark, Mark Dukkha. This
is terrible, it’s all terrible. I’m
always miserable and it never
gets any better. So now
there’s nothing left to do but
pull my hair out. It doesn’t
hurt when your insane.
The Buddha is reputed
to have said:
"I have taught one thing and
one thing only, dukkha and the
cessation of dukkha."
Dukkha - Life is suffering
In your jotters, write a list of all the
ways in which you personally suffer or
have suffered in the past.
It can be big or small - whatever.
Keep this private.
Work Individually
3 Minutes
Anicca and anatta cause dukkha
Is the Buddha right that suffering is
down to us wanting things to stay the
same and them then changing?
For each item you have written down,
consider if change was the cause of
your suffering.
Work Individually
3 Minutes
Three types of Dukkha:
• Ordinary: the obvious physical and mental suffering
associated with birth, growing old, illness and dying.
• Produced by change: The anxiety or stress of trying
to hold onto things that are constantly changing.
• Conditioned states: A basic unsatisfactoriness
pervading all forms of existence, because all forms of
life are changing, impermanent and without any inner
core or substance.
Note: they’re all about change/impermanence.
Spoil-sport Buddha
Obviously, we are happy sometimes! The Buddha
does not deny that. However, this happiness is
an illusion. It makes us think that not
everything changes, and makes us cling to the
happy times wanting them not to change.
For example:
New toys
Relationships
Christmas
Parties
In summary...
The First Mark
Everything
changes
The Second Mark
People change
The Third Mark
Life is full of
suffering because we
don’t understand that
everything changes.
Task
Design a poster with three pictures on it which will
help you remember the Three Marks of Existence.
The pictures can be anything, as long as they help
you remember the name of the mark, and what it
means.
Make it so beautiful that your mum will want to
stick it to your fridge and you can remember the
Three Marks every day!
Questions
1. What are the three marks of existence?
Write between half a page and a full page in your jotters to describe these three
concepts.
(Use Point, Explain, Example.)
2. Do you think impermanence is the reason why we
suffer? (Use Some, Others, I)
3. Think about the story of Prince Siddartha (the
Buddha) leaving the palace. How did the “Four
Sights” bring him to realise the three marks of
existence?
(E.g. Death – When Siddhartha saw death he realised that everything is impermanent and constantly
changes, he realised that one day he would die and his loved ones would also die.)