On August 2, 2025, a live session was held on Sanyutta Nikāaya 22.37 with Dr. Savera and Datuk Dr. Lim Siow Jin, where a profound dialogue between the Buddha and Āyasmā Ānanda was explored. This discourse took place in Sāvatthī and centered on one of the most essential insights in Buddhist practice: impermanence.
The Question of Change
In this teaching, the Buddha posed a significant question to Ānanda:
“If someone were to ask you, ‘Venerable Ānanda, with regard to what things is the arising seen, the passing away seen, and the alteration of what is present seen?’ — how would you answer?”
Ānanda replied that it is in relation to the five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness—that one can observe arising, passing away, and alteration.
The Buddha’s Affirmation
The Buddha praised Ānanda’s response, affirming that the five aggregates indeed reveal the reality of change. They are the very aspects of experience through which impermanence is directly observed.
By reflecting on the constant arising and passing away of these aggregates, one begins to understand that clinging to them as “self” only leads to suffering.
The Core Insight
This teaching highlights an essential principle:
- Form (the body) changes with age and conditions.
- Feelings rise and fade.
- Perceptions shift with new experiences.
- Volitional formations (intentions and mental activities) are ever-changing.
- Consciousness itself arises and ceases based on conditions.
Recognizing this impermanence leads to deeper wisdom. It helps practitioners loosen attachment, understand the nature of suffering, and progress on the path toward liberation.
Conclusion
The Sanyutta Nikāaya 22.37 reminds us that impermanence is not an abstract concept—it can be directly observed in the changing flow of our own body and mind. By attentively observing the five aggregates, we cultivate the insight that forms the foundation of freedom from suffering.
For full video click the link below
https://www.facebook.com/drsavera/videos/711886378676819
