What Does The Buddha Mean When He Says That, 'Choices are impermanent.'?

General Theravada topics
1

I do understand that choices are impermanent. But what are choices being referred to here? And, how exactly are they impermanent? It would be very helpful to clarify this. May it be so that all understand the Dhamma and attain Nibbana.

2

What is the pali word for ‘choices’?

In any event all dhammas, all realities are conditioned and there is no self anywhere managing things.

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3

Ajahn Sujato.
I think that is his def of sankhara.

I’m half to blame… we use his translation in TPR :slight_smile:

iti saṅkhārā, iti saṅkhārānaṃ samudayo, iti saṅkhārānaṃ atthaṅgamo;
such are choices, such is the origin of choices, such is the ending of choices.
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Bodhi and Namamoli tend to use the word ‘volitions’ for choices I think. As RobertK says the Buddha repeatedly states that volitions are empty of self; empty of ‘I’, ‘me’ or ‘mine’. But my question would be this: they are taught as either constituting the 4th aggregate or part of the 4th aggregate, called by B. and N. ‘formations’, or by Ṭhānissaro Bikkhu ‘fabrications’. What is the CT understanding of this aggregate?

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Excellent question. Let’s look at the phrase given by ven. Subhuti:

iti saṅkhārā, iti saṅkhārānaṃ samudayo, iti saṅkhārānaṃ atthaṅgamo;
such are choices, such is the origin of choices, such is the ending of choices.

This phrase is in the Mahasatipatthana sutta and in this sutta it is referring to sankhara khandha (the 4th aggregate). So the entire khandha.
However as you probably know sankhara khandha includes numerous mental factors (cetasikas)- some of which are always present and some that only arise at particular times.
See Nina van Gorkom for a detailed account of the various cetasikas.

Sometimes one of these cetasikas may be more apparent than others that are also present . There might be strong anger in which case dosa is obvious, as an example.

At other times sankhara means conditioned phenomena and has a wider meaning than sankhara khandha.

I will add more about this as time allows.

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7

Thanks , such an important point. While we are here I add something on this, as the reason for this deep analysis of phenomena - by way of khandhas or dhatus or ayatantas is to show the anattaness of dhammas.

Visuddhimagga says (xvii312)
"The absence of interestedness on the part of ignorance, such as 'Formations [sankhara] must be made to occur by me, or on the part of formations, such as ‘vinnana must be made to ocur by us’. One who sees this rightly abandons self view by understanding the absence of a maker.

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