<p>The following phrase about the permanence of the Dhamma Law (Natural Truth) is found in both <a href="https://suttacentral.net/en/an3.136" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 3.136</a> and <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.020.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 12.20</a>. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>Monks, whether or not there is the arising of Tathagatas, this property stands — this steadfastness of the Dhamma, this orderliness of
  the Dhamma.</em></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T08:16:24.077Z
2018-02-03T08:16:24.077Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>The Dhamma is described as timeless (akāliko).</p>

<p>From the <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/glossary.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pali glossary</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>akāliko:
      Timeless; unconditioned by time or season.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn55/sn55.022.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 55.22</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"He/she is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma
  is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here &amp; now, <strong>timeless</strong>,
  inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for
  themselves.'</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.047.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 6.47</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"... the Dhamma is visible in the here-&amp;-now, <strong>timeless</strong>, inviting
  verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.040.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 3.40</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Now, the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One, to be seen here &amp;
  now, <strong>timeless</strong>, inviting all to come &amp; see, pertinent, to be seen
  by the wise for themselves. There are fellow practitioners of the
  chaste life who dwell knowing &amp; seeing it.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You can also find this in AN 11.11, AN 11.12, AN 5.179, AN 10.92 and AN 3.70.</p>

<p>From <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/nowknow1.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this essay</a> by Ajahn Sumedo:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The second refuge is in the Dhamma, in ultimate truth or ultimate
  reality. Dhamma is impersonal; we don’t in any way try to personify it
  to make it any kind of personal deity. When we chant in Pali the verse
  on Dhamma, we say it is ‘<em>sanditthiko akaliko ehipassiko opanayiko
  paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi</em>’. As Dhamma has no personal attributes, we
  can’t even say it is good or bad or anything that has any superlative
  or comparative quality; it is beyond the dualistic conceptions of
  mind.</p>
  
  <p>So when we describe Dhamma or give an impression of it, we do it
  through words such as ‘<em>sanditthiko</em>’, which means immanent,
  here-and-now. That brings us back into the present; we feel a sense of
  immediacy, of now. You may think that Dhamma is some kind of thing
  that is ‘out there’, something you have to find elsewhere, but
  <em>sanditthikodhamma</em> means that it is immanent, here-and-now.</p>
  
  <p><strong><em>Akalikadhamma</em> means that Dhamma is not bound by any time condition.
  The word <em>akala</em> means timeless. Our conceptual mind can’t conceive of
  anything that is timeless, because our conceptions and perceptions are
  time-based conditions, but what we can say is that Dhamma is akala,
  not bound by time.</strong></p>
  
  <p><em>Ehipassikadhamma</em> means to come and see, to turn towards or go to the
  Dhamma. It means to look, to be aware. It is not that we pray to the
  Dhamma to come, or wait for it to tap us on the shoulder; we have to
  put forth effort. It is like Christ’s saying, ‘Knock on the door and
  it shall be opened.’ <em>Ehipassiko</em> means that we have to put forward that
  effort, to turn towards that truth.</p>
  
  <p><em>Opanayiko</em> means leading inwards, towards the peace within the mind.
  Dhamma doesn’t take us into fascination, into excitement, romance and
  adventure, but leads to Nibbana, to calm, to silence.</p>
  
  <p><em>Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi</em> means that we can only know Dhamma through
  direct experience. It is like the taste of honey — if someone else
  tastes it, we still don’t know its flavour. We may know the chemical
  formula or be able to recite all the great poetry ever written about
  honey, but only when we taste it for ourselves do we really know what
  it is like. It is the same with Dhamma: we have to taste it, we have
  to know it directly.</p>
  
  <p>Taking refuge in Dhamma is taking another safe refuge. It is not
  taking refuge in philosophy or intellectual concepts, in theories, in
  ideas, in doctrines or beliefs of any sort. It is not taking refuge in
  a belief in Dhamma, or a belief in God or in some kind of force in
  outer space or something beyond or something separate, something that
  we have to find sometime later. The descriptions of the Dhamma keep us
  in the present, in the here-and-now, unbound by time. Taking refuge is
  an immediate immanent reflection in the mind, it is not just repeating
  ‘<em>Dhammam Saranam gacchami</em>’ like a parrot, thinking, ‘Buddhists say
  this so I have to say it.’ We turn towards the Dhamma, we are aware
  now, take refuge in Dhamma, now as an immediate action, an immediate
  reflection of being the Dhamma, being that very truth.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T09:25:52.880Z
I think akāliko means "immediately effective" or "without delay" rather than the "timelessness" inferred in this post. It means as soon as dhamma is practised (example, craving & attachment are abandoned), the result is immediate (example, liberation from dukkha).
Dhamma Dhatu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T13:15:14.170Z
Thanks for your taking the time anf effort to write down such a detailed answer.
Fabien Todescato
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T08:27:31.387Z
2018-02-03T08:51:38.793Z
2018-02-03T08:51:38.793Z
ruben2020
<p><strong>Friends</strong>, having heard in many a Dhamma talk references being made to the permanence of the Dhamma as refuge, I am looking for suttas in the Pali Canon evoking that very theme of permanence of the Dhamma.</p>

<p>Thank you for your much appreciated help.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T07:39:36.490Z
Related Thig 13:1  Ambapālī https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig13_1.html
Fabien Todescato
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T08:10:21.870Z
The Pali here for "doesn’t change" is anaññathā, which appears to not mean "permanence": https://suttacentral.net/define/ana%C3%B1%C3%B1ath%C4%81
Dhamma Dhatu
<theravada><reference-request><pali-canon><sutras>
Taking Refuge in the Dhamma
# Taking Refuge in the Dhamma

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-03)

**Friends**, having heard in many a Dhamma talk references being made to the permanence of the Dhamma as refuge, I am looking for suttas in the Pali Canon evoking that very theme of permanence of the Dhamma.

Thank you for your much appreciated help.

**Tags:** theravada, reference-request, pali-canon, sutras

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Related Thig 13:1  Ambapālī https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/Thig/thig13_1.html  
> **username_1**: The Pali here for "doesn’t change" is anaññathā, which appears to not mean "permanence": https://suttacentral.net/define/ana%C3%B1%C3%B1ath%C4%81  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-02-03. Score: 3

The Dhamma is described as timeless (akāliko).

From the [Pali glossary](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/glossary.html):

> akāliko:
> Timeless; unconditioned by time or season.

From [SN 55.22](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn55/sn55.022.than.html):

> "He/she is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma
> is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, **timeless**,
> inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for
> themselves.'

From [AN 6.47](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.047.than.html):

> "... the Dhamma is visible in the here-&-now, **timeless**, inviting
> verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves."

From [AN 3.40](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.040.than.html):

> Now, the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One, to be seen here &
> now, **timeless**, inviting all to come & see, pertinent, to be seen
> by the wise for themselves. There are fellow practitioners of the
> chaste life who dwell knowing & seeing it.

You can also find this in AN 11.11, AN 11.12, AN 5.179, AN 10.92 and AN 3.70.

From [this essay](http://www.buddhanet.net/nowknow1.htm) by Ajahn Sumedo:

> The second refuge is in the Dhamma, in ultimate truth or ultimate
> reality. Dhamma is impersonal; we don’t in any way try to personify it
> to make it any kind of personal deity. When we chant in Pali the verse
> on Dhamma, we say it is ‘*sanditthiko akaliko ehipassiko opanayiko
> paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi*’. As Dhamma has no personal attributes, we
> can’t even say it is good or bad or anything that has any superlative
> or comparative quality; it is beyond the dualistic conceptions of
> mind.
>
> So when we describe Dhamma or give an impression of it, we do it
> through words such as ‘*sanditthiko*’, which means immanent,
> here-and-now. That brings us back into the present; we feel a sense of
> immediacy, of now. You may think that Dhamma is some kind of thing
> that is ‘out there’, something you have to find elsewhere, but
> *sanditthikodhamma* means that it is immanent, here-and-now.
>
> ***Akalikadhamma* means that Dhamma is not bound by any time condition.
> The word *akala* means timeless. Our conceptual mind can’t conceive of
> anything that is timeless, because our conceptions and perceptions are
> time-based conditions, but what we can say is that Dhamma is akala,
> not bound by time.**
>
> *Ehipassikadhamma* means to come and see, to turn towards or go to the
> Dhamma. It means to look, to be aware. It is not that we pray to the
> Dhamma to come, or wait for it to tap us on the shoulder; we have to
> put forth effort. It is like Christ’s saying, ‘Knock on the door and
> it shall be opened.’ *Ehipassiko* means that we have to put forward that
> effort, to turn towards that truth.
>
> *Opanayiko* means leading inwards, towards the peace within the mind.
> Dhamma doesn’t take us into fascination, into excitement, romance and
> adventure, but leads to Nibbana, to calm, to silence.
>
> *Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi* means that we can only know Dhamma through
> direct experience. It is like the taste of honey — if someone else
> tastes it, we still don’t know its flavour. We may know the chemical
> formula or be able to recite all the great poetry ever written about
> honey, but only when we taste it for ourselves do we really know what
> it is like. It is the same with Dhamma: we have to taste it, we have
> to know it directly.
>
> Taking refuge in Dhamma is taking another safe refuge. It is not
> taking refuge in philosophy or intellectual concepts, in theories, in
> ideas, in doctrines or beliefs of any sort. It is not taking refuge in
> a belief in Dhamma, or a belief in God or in some kind of force in
> outer space or something beyond or something separate, something that
> we have to find sometime later. The descriptions of the Dhamma keep us
> in the present, in the here-and-now, unbound by time. Taking refuge is
> an immediate immanent reflection in the mind, it is not just repeating
> ‘*Dhammam Saranam gacchami*’ like a parrot, thinking, ‘Buddhists say
> this so I have to say it.’ We turn towards the Dhamma, we are aware
> now, take refuge in Dhamma, now as an immediate action, an immediate
> reflection of being the Dhamma, being that very truth.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think akāliko means "immediately effective" or "without delay" rather than the "timelessness" inferred in this post. It means as soon as dhamma is practised (example, craving & attachment are abandoned), the result is immediate (example, liberation from dukkha).  
> **username_0**: Thanks for your taking the time anf effort to write down such a detailed answer.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-02-03. Score: 1

The following phrase about the permanence of the Dhamma Law (Natural Truth) is found in both [AN 3.136](https://suttacentral.net/en/an3.136) and [SN 12.20](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.020.than.html).

> *Monks, whether or not there is the arising of Tathagatas, this property stands — this steadfastness of the Dhamma, this orderliness of
> the Dhamma.*


---

