This paper examines the Buddhist philosophical doctrine of impermanence (Anicca/Anitya) as taught by Siddhartha Gautama, contrasting it with Western philosophical thought on permanence and change. The paper explains the two degrees of impermanence — gross and subtle — and traces how Gautama applied this doctrine to both non-living matter and human existence. It discusses the five conditioned states (skandhas) that compose the self, the nature of desire and attachment (dukka), and the path toward liberation through detachment and meditation. Scientific findings from atomic theory are also drawn upon to support the Buddhist view that all matter is in constant flux.
The paper demonstrates comparative philosophical analysis: it positions Buddhist doctrine against Western metaphysics, uses concrete natural examples (mountains, volcanoes, oceans, radioactive isotopes) to illustrate abstract claims, and then applies the same principle to human psychology and ethics. This movement from the macro (cosmology) to the micro (individual self) is a hallmark of structured philosophical exposition.
The paper opens with a brief survey of Eastern vs. Western thought, then introduces the core Buddhist concept of Anitya and its two degrees. It moves outward to illustrate impermanence in nature and inward to the human self via the five skandhas. The middle section bridges ancient philosophy and modern science. The paper closes with a discussion of desire, liberation through detachment, and a brief comparative conclusion distinguishing Gautama's approach from Western notions of totality and selfhood.
Humanity has long attempted to explain what the universe is like and to account for change across centuries. In this process, several theories have been formulated, many of which have served as valuable foundations for further inquiry as time progressed. What has been researched and found compelling has been further developed with the passage of time, and various theories have influenced one another, producing diverse directions in philosophical thought.
The developments witnessed throughout history exemplify two major lines of argument: Western thought and Eastern thought. These differ from each other in significant ways. Western thought is generally focused on understanding the origins of the universe and holds that, while change occurs with the passage of time in the material world, permanence is an element of eternal life. This view follows the belief that a creator (God) has set the world into motion, meaning that mortal beings will undergo change because nothing here is permanent. There is belief in an afterlife in which there will be no change from one form to another — essence will remain the same and will be fully known. In contrast, Eastern philosophy is based on the belief that everything in the universe is subject to change. Anicca, or impermanence, is the core of this belief, holding that everything throughout the universe changes over time.
Eastern philosophy denies permanence throughout the universe. The core belief called Anitya (impermanence) holds that all phenomena, triggered by certain describable or indescribable factors, gradually come to an end of their existence.
Anitya encompasses two degrees of impermanence, termed gross impermanence and subtle impermanence (Harvey 1990). Gross impermanence refers to the birth of a substance, its temporary survival, and then its disappearance. Subtle impermanence refers to the momentary existence of a substance — meaning that this form of impermanence does not require secondary causes, because the very source of a substance's destruction is already present within it. This source of destruction is present because it is, in itself, also the source of the substance's birth (Harvey 1990).
Anicca, or Anitya, is the basis of all Buddhist philosophy and the foundation of Buddhist comprehension of the world and reality. In light of this understanding, Siddhartha Gautama — the Buddha — declared that permanence does not exist anywhere in the universe, having himself experienced the creation and destruction of entire systems. If whole universes could be swept away so quickly, individuals too were understood to be similarly transient (Harvey 1990).
Siddhartha Gautama emphasized that he witnessed substances pass through stages after their creation and then disappear. From this, he concluded that there is no permanent essence to anything and that all substances are made up of conditioned states. The rise and disappearance of various substances was due to various conditions that influenced their existence in the world. If conditions were to change, so too would the substance; its essence could not remain the same if the conditions surrounding it did not remain the same (Harvey 1990).
Siddhartha Gautama did not assert all of this without offering explanations. For Western believers, what he had to say might be difficult to accept, since one might wonder how he could assert these things without direct certainty about the world and its processes. Naturally, some form of evidence would be required if his views were to be taken seriously. In the East, however, these assertions have been widely accepted for many centuries (Harvey 1990).
Siddhartha Gautama asserts that all things only appear permanent and unchanging because of human perception. Beyond the limits of human perception, changes are constantly occurring — even when they cannot be seen — because many processes unfold at such a slow rate that they are difficult to notice. Most things are said to be in a constant process of change. Mountains, solid as they are, appear not to be undergoing any change, yet they do change, as demonstrated by the fact that their very survival depends on tectonic forces occurring within the crust and mantle of the earth (Harvey 1990).
Volcanoes, as inactive and permanent as they may appear, may suddenly erupt when pressures within the earth can no longer be contained. These eruptions may create larger volcanoes and even develop into mountain ranges over time. This activity represents the developmental phase during which a mountain grows larger. Conversely, a single mountain may be said to "die" if an eruption succeeds in creating a range that overwhelms the original (Bowker 1997).
Oceans, too, do not remain the same over time. They are also known to change and, over geological timescales, to give way to land. Just as mountains and oceans — so vast and apparently permanent because of the length of their existence — can change with time, all matter is equally susceptible to change.
Matter cannot truly be called dead, because it is all actually undergoing changes that may be extremely slow. In contrast to these gradual changes, there are also transformations in matter that are so rapid that it is difficult to track the states they pass through. This refers to the emission of radiation from radioisotopes, during which substances change into something entirely different by emitting radiation. In the same way, substances such as rock only appear inactive; in actuality, they are undergoing changes that cannot be seen. Given that this understanding was developed many years ago, it is easier to appreciate in contemporary times because of scientific discovery (Bowker 1997).
In light of all that Siddhartha Gautama taught his followers, it must be emphasized that his aim was to improve their lives by showing them how to move away from things that weaken an individual — even though the individual him- or herself is impermanent too.
Siddhartha Gautama's concept differs markedly from Western thought, which includes the notion of totality. Totality takes into account the possibility of being (existence) in both form and content, and this theory considers possibilities well beyond what is visible to the naked eye (metaphysics). The limitation of this theory is demonstrated in its most fundamental form when beings confront one another: it is one individual (the self) that stands opposed to another (the other), and they appear to each other as two entirely different entities. In contrast to this approach, Siddhartha Gautama implemented his philosophy not only in his own life but also in the lives of his followers, establishing a near-perfect discipline — and this without needing to recognize that they might all be part of a greater totality.
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