– Inside and Outside – Across Time

(based on sutras SN 35.1-35.12)

You can read them on your own here https://suttacentral.net/sn35-aniccavagga?view=normal…

When people—whether monks, students, or laypersons—met the Buddha, they often asked him for teachings. In response, the Buddha would ask:

“Now, tell me: Is what you are feeling right now permanent or impermanent?”

Take a moment to reflect. Think of any pleasant or unpleasant feeling from your past. Did it stay the same for long? Or did it change?

Feelings and emotions are fleeting—like bubbles that appear on the surface of a pond with each falling raindrop, they arise and disappear quickly. Unpleasant sensations and unbearable feelings might sometimes feel as though they last forever, but inevitably, even they pass. If the feeling is unpleasant, it is easy to see its suffering nature. But when the feeling is pleasant, it is not so obvious—until we notice how short-lived it is.

If I love someone, I must also recognize that separation is inevitable—and in the case of marriage, death is often the most hopeful outcome! If feelings were truly “mine,” I could control them, commanding them to stay pleasant forever. Yet, we lack control even over our bodies. For example, I might enjoy perfect eyesight now, but by age 50, I may need glasses—or my vision could deteriorate entirely.

So, if our emotions and sensations are impermanent, if they often bring suffering, and if we can’t control them—how can we call them “me” or “mine”?

This is the logical sequence: if we don’t see the non-self nature of experience, it means we are not seeing its impermanence.

“I am so happy right now! So young and healthy, and it feels like the whole world is in front of me. I got a new job offer, and this is my merit, thanks to my effort—how could you say it’s no-self?”

When we experience pleasant things, it is harder to dissociate our sense of self from those experiences.

So, in a sense, going through a rough period in life is more spiritually inducing. We know that what we are going through is not what we want, and we start to ask all those important questions—like why it’s happening and how to stop it.

To Repeat Again: Three Qualities of All Feelings

Impermanence: Unpleasant feelings can seem as though they last forever, but even they eventually pass.

Suffering: Unpleasant feelings clearly show their suffering nature because they are unpleasant.

Non-Self: It can feel personal—”I am suffering,” “Why do I deserve this?”—making it difficult to see the non-self nature.

Pleasant feelings are a little easier to see as impermanent because we wish they would last longer. However, it’s harder to notice the suffering hidden within them, only if we are able to trace how quickly the joy fades. But we are usually so happy to grab the next pleasant sensation, that we stay oblivious to this endless race after fleeting joy. And it is equally challenging to gain insight into their non-self nature.

Suffering Inside and Outside

This truth—impermanence, suffering, and non-self—is not limited to personal experience. It’s not just my emotions that are fleeting, nor am I the only one who struggles with dissatisfaction. Everyone around me—family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers or enemies—experiences the same impermanence and suffering.

When we reflect deeply on this, we realize that the suffering we feel inside is mirrored outside. As within, so without—everyone’s joys are fleeting, and everyone’s sorrows arise from unmet expectations or losses.

This shared suffering helps cultivate compassion. Knowing that others are also trapped in this cycle of impermanence allows us to connect with them beyond personal grievances or judgments. Even those we dislike are caught in the same web of changing emotions, struggling just as we do.

The Three Times: Past, Present, and Future

The impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature of feelings applies across all time—past, present, and future. It was true in the past, it is happening now, and it will remain true in the future.

We may hope that medicine will one day cure all illnesses and prevent the deterioration of our senses. We may dream of a world where death no longer separates us from loved ones. But even if people stopped dying—where would they go? The Earth could not sustain us all.

In fact, as medicine advances and life expectancy increases, we discover that suffering does not disappear. It merely shifts, taking new forms beyond physical pain and entering the realm of mental and emotional anguish.

Beyond the Sensory Realm: The Form Realm and Stillness

If feelings and emotions are sources of suffering, we must not get stuck at the sensory level. In Buddhism, there is a level of existence beyond sensuality—called the form realm, accessible through meditation at the first level of concentration.

For many, this experience of stillness also arises through physical practices. Perhaps you’ve encountered it during qigong, yoga, or even in the flow of taolu forms or partner exercises. When the endless mental chatter subsides, the body becomes a gateway to presence.

Escaping the Cycle of Suffering

Many newcomers to Buddhism—or those encountering it for the first time—get stuck on the idea that “everything is suffering.” But the Buddha’s teaching doesn’t end there. If there is suffering, there is also a way out.

Stay tuned for the next part.