༄༅། །་ག་པ་ད་་མ།

The Sūtra on Impermanence (1)

Anityatāsūtra
 mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo

· Toh 309 ·
Degé Kangyur, vol 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 155.a–155.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

· Surendrabodhi · Zhang Yeshé Dé ·
 Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist Academy
Division)
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2013

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co. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
· Sūtras on impermanence
· Note on the translation
tr. The Translation
1. The Sūtra on Impermanence (1)
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 In this brief sūtra, the Buddha reminds his followers of one of the principal
characteristics of saṃsāric existence: the reality of impermanence. The four
things cherished most in this world, the Buddha says —namely, good health,
youth, prosperity, and life —are all impermanent. He closes his teaching with
a verse, asking how beings, afflicted as they are by impermanence, can take
delight in anything desirable, and indirectly urging his disciples to practice
the path of liberation.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ac.1 Translation by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist
Academy Division, Kathmandu). This sūtra was translated from the Tibetan
into English by Christian Bernert and edited by Vivian Paganuzzi.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision
of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 This sūtra highlights one of the most fundamental teachings of the
Buddha—recognizing the impermanence (anityatā) of conditioned
phenomena. The fact that such phenomena are impermanent (anitya) is listed
as the first of the three principal characteristics of existence, the other two
being the suffering, or unsatisfactoriness, of phenomena (duḥkha), and their
no-self, or lack of an inherent substance (anātman). It is the clear
understanding of the reality of these facts of life that can bring about a
profound and essential change in a person’s worldview, marking the point
of entry to the path to liberation.1 Impermanence is also one of the four seals
of the Buddha’s teaching (comprising these three characteristics of existence
and a fourth principle, that nirvāṇa is peace), often described as
summarizing or epitomizing the Buddhadharma, and more particularly as
the criteria that together enable the variety of Buddhist philosophical views
to be distinguished from non-Buddhist ones.2

· Sūtras on impermanence ·

i.2 The Tibetan canon contains two sūtras with the title Sūtra on Impermanence
(mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo), both found in the same section of the Kangyur (mdo
sde, Toh 309 and 3103). The sūtra translated here is the first, the shorter of the
two. Sūtras with equivalent titles are also found in other Buddhist canons,
but their contents differ substantially from the one translated here. The
Chinese Tripiṭaka, for instance, contains two sūtras so entitled (Taishō nos.
801 and 759), and in the Samyutta Nikāya of the Pāli canon, the collection of
discourses grouped by themes, there are a number of different texts with the
title Sutta on Impermanence (P. Aniccasutta).4

· Note on the translation ·

i.3 The content of this sūtra is rather straightforward and its interpretation does
not pose any major difficulties. One particular term, however, did present a
problem of translation: the Tibetan dben pa, which commonly translates the
Sanskrit viveka/vivikta and is usually related to concepts of isolation and
seclusion. Here it seems to refer more specifically to the act of picking
something out, separating it from other things and thus singling it out from
them as special.
The Sūtra on Impermanence (1)
1. The Translation
[F.155.a]

1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

1.2 Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s
Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a large monastic assembly. The
Bhagavān addressed the monks as follows:

1.3 “Monks, four things are appealing, singled out, considered valuable,
pleasant, and highly appreciated by everyone. What are those four?
1.4 “Monks, good health is appealing, singled out, considered valuable,
pleasant, and highly appreciated by everyone. Good health, however, ends
with sickness. Monks, sickness is neither appealing, nor is it singled out,
considered valuable, pleasant, or highly appreciated by anyone.
1.5 “Monks, youth is appealing, singled out, considered valuable, pleasant,
and highly appreciated by everyone. Youth, however, ends with the aging of
the body. Monks, the aging of the body is neither appealing, nor is it singled
out, considered valuable, pleasant, or highly appreciated by anyone.
1.6 “Monks, prosperity is appealing, singled out, considered valuable,
pleasant, and highly appreciated by everyone. Prosperity, however, ends
with its decline. Monks, the decline of prosperity is neither appealing, nor is
it singled out, considered valuable, pleasant, or highly appreciated by
anyone. [F.155.b]
1.7 “Monks, life is appealing, singled out, considered valuable, pleasant, and
highly appreciated by everyone. Life, however, ends in death. Monks, death
is neither appealing, nor is it singled out, considered valuable, pleasant, or
highly appreciated by anyone.”

1.8 Thus spoke the Bhagavān, the Sugata, and having spoken the Teacher
added these words:
1.9 “Good health is impermanent,
Youth does not last.
Prosperity is impermanent,
And life, too, does not last.
How can beings, afflicted as they are by impermanence,
Take delight in desirable things like these?”

1.10 When the Bhagavān had thus spoken, the monks rejoiced and praised his
words.

1.11 This completes “The Sūtra on Impermanence.”

c. Colophon
c.1 Translated and edited by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the
principal editor-translator, Bandé Zhang Yeshé Dé. It was then also reviewed
and finalized in accordance with current language reforms.
n. NOTES

n.1 See The Three Basic Facts of Existence (The Wheel, Publication no. 186, p. 187)
(details in bibliography).

n.2 See, for example, The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (Toh 155 (UT22084-058-
002.html)).

n.3 See DiSimone, Charles and Choi, Jin Kyoung. trans., The Sūtra on
Impermanence (2) (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh310.html), Toh 310.

n.4 For instance Samyutta Nikaya 22.45 and 46, and Samyutta Nikaya 36.9.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo (Anityatāsūtra). Toh 309, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo
sde, sa), folios 155a.2–155b.4.

mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo (Anityatāsūtra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative
Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’
bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the
China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod
rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol.
72, 434–36.

DiSimone, Charles and Choi, Jin Kyoung, trans. The Sūtra on Impermanence (2)
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh310.html) (Anityatāsūtra, Toh 310).

Nyanaponika Thera, transl. Anicca Sutta: Impermanent (SN 36.9), translated

from the Pali. Access to Insight, 30 June 2010, www.accesstoinsight.org
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.009.nypo.html).
Retrieved on 10 May 2013.

“The Three Basic Facts of Existence: I. Impermanence (Anicca), with a

preface by Nyanaponika Thera.” Access to Insight, 2 December 2011,
www.accesstoinsight.org
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel186.html).
Retrieved on 10 May 2013.
g. GLOSSARY

· Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding ·

source language

AS Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding
language.

AA Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names
where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested
in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the
term.

RS Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan
translation.

SU Source unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often
is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1 four seals of the Buddha’s teaching

bka’ rtags kyi phyag rgya bzhi · bkar btags bzhi · chos kyi sdom bzhi

བཀའ་གས་་ག་་བ། · བཀར་བཏགས་བ། · ས་་མ་བ།

caturdharmoddāna
 All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; all defilements are suffering;
all phenomena are without self; nirvāṇa is peace.

g.2 impermanence
mi rtag pa nyid

་ག་པ་ད།
anityatā

g.3 impermanent
mi rtag pa

་ག་པ།
anitya

g.4 Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park

rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba

ལ་་ལ་ད་་ཚལ་མན་ད་ཟས་ན་ི་ན་དགའ་ར་བ།
jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ AO
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the
capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was
originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s
grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the
Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said
he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold
coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except
the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning
Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as
“Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu
the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince
Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park.
Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then
offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha
specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name
in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.

Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the
monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of
the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season
retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses
 and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in
use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth
century it had been reduced to ruins.

g.5 no-self
bdag med

བདག་ད།
anātman

g.6 singled out

dben pa

དན་པ།
viveka · vivikta

g.7 suffering
sdug bsngal

ག་བལ།
duḥkha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The first of the four truths of the noble ones. The term “suffering” includes
all essentially unsatisfactory experiences of life in cyclic existence, whether
physical or mental. These comprise (1) the suffering of suffering, i.e., the
physical sensations and mental experiences that are self-evident as suffering
and toward which spontaneous feelings of aversion arise; (2) the suffering of
change, i.e., all experiences that are normally recognized as pleasant and
desirable, but which are nonetheless suffering in that persistent indulgence
in these always results in changing attitudes of dissatisfaction and boredom;
and (3) the suffering of the pervasive conditioning underlying the round of
birth, aging, and death.

g.8 three principal characteristics of existence

bkar btags gsum

བཀར་བཏགས་གམ།
—
Impermanence, suffering, and no-self. They are called in Pāli tilakkhaṇa, the
“three characteristics,” a term that has no direct equivalent in the Sanskrit or
Tibetan literature; in Tibetan, these three factors are usually called the “three
seals of the Buddha’s teaching” in parallel to the “four seals of the Buddha’s
teaching,” q.v.