Chapter XX - MAGGA VAGGA - The Way or The Path



Sabbe sankhara anicca'ti yada pannaya passati
Atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo visuddhiya.

All conditioned things are impermanent.
When one sees this in wisdom, thenone becomes dispassionate towards the painful.
This is the Path to Purity. [277]

XX:02 Meditation on anicca

A group of bhikkhus, after receiving their subject of meditation from the Buddha, went into the forest to practise meditation, but they made little progress. So, they returned to the Buddha to ask for another subject of meditation which would suit them better. On reflection, the Buddha found that these bhikkhus had developed meditation on impermanence during the time of Kassapa Buddha. So he said, 'Bhikkhus,all component things* are impermanent.'


  1. Sankharais a multi-significant term. Here it is used in the sense of things conditioned by causes. SupramundaneNibbanais not included insankharaas it is not conditioned by any cause. It is causeless and timeless.
  2. Suffering caused by attending to the five Aggregates.

*All component things, whether animate or inanimate are subject to the universal law of impermanency, unsatisfactoriness and unsubstantiality. No supernatural powers of God can change or stop this phenomenon. All our problems and unhappiness are rooted in our attachment towards momentary feelings or objects and uncertainty in everything. The conflict between our craving and impermanency creates unsatisfactoriness or physical or mental suffering. Those who can concentrate on this universal law can gain inner peace and contentment in life.