Change, Dissatisfaction, and the Self: The Three Marks of Existence

The Three Marks of Existence can sound stark: everything is impermanent, clinging leads to dissatisfaction, and there is no fixed self. But these teachings aren’t pessimistic; they’re liberating. In this episode, monks from the Order of Pragmatic Buddhism explore how recognizing change reduces fear, how understanding dissatisfaction shifts craving, and how seeing the fluid nature of identity softens defensiveness. Far from nihilism, the Three Marks offer a clear-eyed way of relating to life as it is.