Deep Commentary

These two verses were taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery, relating to five hundred monks. According to the story, five hundred monks had received a meditation subject from the Buddha and strove their utmost in the forest, but they did not attain arahantship. They returned and asked the Buddha for another, more suitable subject. The Buddha saw that during the time of Buddha Kassapa, these monks had already devoted two thousand years to meditative contemplation on the theme of impermanence. Therefore, impermanence would be the subject he would teach. Thinking thus, the Buddha taught: "Monks, in this world and beyond, all conditioned phenomena, being unreal, are governed by impermanence." On that occasion, the Buddha spoke these two verses. (Excerpt from The Dhammapada Story Collection, Volume III, Vien Chieu, p. 106) Saying "All conditioned things are unsatisfactory," the Buddha refers to all conditioned phenomena. Whether physical, physiological, or psychological, everything is characterized by suffering. No phenomenon stands still; all things are constantly changing and are therefore unsatisfactory. Impermanence is an eternal theme. Whether a Buddha appears or not, nothing in this world escapes the law of impermanence and suffering. When contemplating the nature of suffering, one must do so with wisdom. Hence verse 278 says that when one sees with wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with suffering. Suffering has two aspects: benefit and harm. 1. Benefit: Because of change, things progress. If things remained static, life would be meaningless. For example, without digestion we could not live. A newborn who never grew would lead to extinction. Change allows life to flow and evolve, giving meaning to individual, family, and society. Impermanence does not lead to pessimism but to optimism, constant renewal, and love for life. 2. Harm: Impermanence is a great calamity. Nothing endures; everything is swept away by time. No matter how solidly built, all things decay. Mountains erode, seas become mulberry fields. No one can resist time. Life is as brief as a dream. Contemplating this, one awakens and strives in practice. Seeing the fragility of life, realizing that death can come at any moment, and that even one's own body cannot be retained, let alone possessions or loved ones, one no longer clings to worldly pleasures. Thus one turns away from suffering and walks the path of purification.