Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org

people try to argue that, based on teachings like this,
Buddhism is an inherently negative religion.
It is quite dishonest to say such a thing, though; it means
such people haven’t really made any effort to study the
Buddha’s teaching. The Buddha said that the mind is pure in
and of itself – it’s already pure. The nature of the mind, the
nature of reality? There is nothing wrong with it. There’s
nothing that needs to be changed. We can be happy all the
time, but for one important thing – suffering. Once we’re
free from suffering, what should we worry about? What else
should we need? If there were no suffering, why would we
have to look for happiness? All we would have is happiness
and calm. If there were never a state of suffering, then all
that would be left is happiness and calm. Sometimes calm,
sometimes happiness – never suffering. So, all you have to
do is think for a second: what are the implications of not
suffering?
This is why these saññas are most important. Negative
things are most important, because they help us to let go of
our defilements. They help us to let go of our craving, which
is the cause of suffering. Once we see that the objects of our
attachment are not really worth clinging to, not worth
worrying about, not worth trying to control — “may they be
like this; may they not be like that” – once we can see the
suffering inherent in clinging, that true happiness doesn’t
exist in anything outside of ourselves, only then can we find
true peace and happiness.
aniccasaññā
The first two perceptions, aniccasaññā and anattasaññā,
mean to see that the five aggregates and six sense bases
are impermanent and non-self. Aniccasaññā is based on the
five aggregates and anattasaññā is based on the six senses,
but they’re actually saying the same thing. The aggregates
and the senses are both impermanent and non-self. In the
Anattalakkhaṇa sutta, the Buddha talks about the five
aggregates as being non-self, but he explains it by saying
they are impermanent, and if they’re impermanent, can you
really say they’re self? What we mean by impermanent is not
just that they change, but they arise and they cease.
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