ANICCA BUDDHISM - KS3 This presentation aims to introduce KS3 students to the concept of Anicca (impermanence) in Buddhism. The idea of impermanence is crucial in Buddhism as one of the three ‘marks of existence’. In other words, according to Buddhists, it is a fatal mistake to think that anything has permanent existence. Human beings have to accept that nothing lasts – not in a fatalistic way necessarily, but all the same, to make progress in our understanding of the way things are, we cannot ignore the fact of change. Even things that appear to be unchanging over long periods of time, do in fact change and will, ultimately pass away. It will be important to recognise that bad things as well as good will come to an end: joy that is experienced today may be gone tomorrow, but likewise pain – all things are temporary, contingent and finite.

Things change – so what? The Big Question Explain to the students that understanding the significance of the idea of change is vital to an understanding of Buddhism – and possibly of life itself. In Buddhism the word ‘anicca’ is the term for impermanence in the Pali language of many Buddhist scriptures. Ask them to think of things that don’t change. Is there really anything that doesn’t change? Could there be anything that doesn’t change? Sometimes it is said that ‘people don’t change’ – what do students think is meant by this saying? For pronunciations and definitions of religious terminology: http://re-definitions.org.uk

Thich Nhát Hanh We are often sad and suffer a lot when things change, but change and impermanence have a positive side. Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Life itself is possible. If a grain of corn is not impermanent, it can never be transformed into a stalk of corn. If the stalk were not impermanent, it could never provide us with the ear of corn we eat. If your daughter is not impermanent, she cannot grow up to become a woman. Then your grandchildren would never come to be. So instead of complaining about impermanence, we should say, “Long live impermanence!” We should be happy. When we see the miracle of impermanence our sadness and suffering will pass. Show students this slide and explain that the words were said by Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. Read it out loud slowly and reflectively, with a few seconds pause between each sentence. Ask the students to listen silently, perhaps with eyes closed, to each word. Encourage them to listen to the words ‘with their hearts as well as their ears, from a place deep within themselves’. Explain that, after a short period of silence, you are going to read the words again and encourage the students to remember any words or phrases that seem to stand out for them. Re-read the statement– again slowly and reflectively. At the end of the second reading, keep another short period of silence and then ask the students to recall, without speaking aloud, the words that stood out for them and keep those words to themselves.

Show your ideas What words are you thinking carefully about? Write a short conversation between two or three people that features the words you are thinking about. What questions are included in the conversation? What meaning are you trying to show? Encourage the students to make a creative response to the words they chose, through a written conversation. Sit alongside individual students and ask them about their writing: what words are they focussing on? What meaning are they trying to express? What questions were raised for them? Learning Outcome: link their own ideas about life to the teachings of religions and beliefs being studied.

Capturing Impermanence Show Jonathan Clarke’s short film, ‘Capturing Impermanence’: https://vimeo.com/134270660 Ask the students to share ideas on how successful the film is in ‘capturing impermanence’. What images in the film have particular meaning for them? Which images relate best to the Buddhist idea of ‘anicca’?

Whatever states of mind, happy or unhappy, occur, never mind Whatever states of mind, happy or unhappy, occur, never mind! We should constantly be reminding ourselves, “This is impermanent.” Remind the students that in this introduction to the idea of anicca (impermanence) they have been thinking about Buddhist beliefs. Buddhists link the idea of impermanence with two other big ideas: anatta (no-soul or ‘self’) and dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness). One Buddhist monk, Ajahn Chah (pictured) said that we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that things don’t last; whether we are happy or unhappy, we need to remember that nothing is permanent. Why might ‘constantly reminding ourselves’ be important?

Things change – so what? The Big Question Remind the students that understanding the significance of the idea of change is vital to an understanding of Buddhism – and possibly of life itself. What do they think about the idea of anicca now? Can they think of examples where it may help a person in their life? Or examples of where it might not be so helpful? Help them go to the next step in their thinking by asking them to respond with good reasons to the question, ‘Things change – so what?’ Learning Outcomes: describe the importance of Anicca in Buddhism and give an example of how it may be used to help people in their lives; provide good reasons for the views they have and the connections they make.