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Transience

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The state of being impermanent, temporary, or fleeting, a fundamental concept in Buddhism and a theme in wisdom literature.

Detailed Definition
The recognition of transience (Anicca in Buddhism) is key to understanding the nature of suffering and the path to liberation. It is also a theme in Ecclesiastes ("Vanity of vanities"). In poetry, transience is a central subject for contemplation, inspiring themes of mortality, the beauty of the ephemeral (like cherry blossoms), and the importance of living mindfully. Poets use images of falling leaves, fading light, and flowing water to evoke the poignant beauty and sorrow of a world in constant flux, urging a turn towards the eternal.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Buddhist poetry, Transience (anicca) is core truth: “Morning dew—Transience glistens, then gone”; In Japanese haiku, Transience underlies beauty: “Fallen petals—Transience, sweet and sharp”; In contemporary elegy, Transience is acceptance: “Grandmother’s hands—Transience etched in veins”; Poets find peace in Transience: “Not loss, but flow—Transience, river that carries us home.”
Additional Notes
Transience (anicca in Pali) is a cornerstone of Buddhist teaching, asserting that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent; this insight leads to non-attachment and liberation; in poetry, especially in Japanese haiku or Persian Sufi verse, transience is rendered through cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, or setting suns—inviting reflection on beauty’s fragility and the wisdom of letting go.
Other Meanings of “Transience”
Also Known As
Impermanence Anicca Mortality
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