Toh 309
The Sūtra on Impermanence (1)
མི་རྟག་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་མདོ།
Anityatāsūtra
mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo
Translator: Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist Academy Division) under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
Read time: 4 min
Version: v1.22.16
The KangyurDiscoursesGeneral Sūtra Section
Summary
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.