<p>Buddhism isn't overly concerned with the <em>source</em> or <em>cause</em> of impermanence. The Buddhist problematic is that the mind fixates on permanence — on wanting things to be a certain way, always — and that fixation causes misery of various sorts when things <em>do</em> change (as they inevitably will).</p>

<p>I'm not certain what thought or insight is bubbling around behind this question (perhaps it hasn't made itself clear even to you, yet), but you should be aware that fixating on impermanence can be just as problematic as fixating on anything else. Who or what are you trying to ascribe intelligence to?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T17:35:47.500Z
To impermanence itself.....out of watching impermanence that quality is recognized,a quality of impermanence  ,I find that the changes inside the body or in the heavens for example ,are intelligent changes,, the changes that result due to impermanence seem wise .
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T17:37:45.607Z
Impermanence is not a 'thing' that you can ascribe qualities (like intelligence) to. Impermanence is merely a quality. If impermanence were a 'thing' it too would be impermanent...
Ted Wrigley
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T17:46:28.053Z
What I mean just like Impermanence was recognized as a quality of a thing also the result that occurred due to this quality was intelligent ,so intelligence was also recognized as a quality of a thing due to impermanence,that goes in line with dependent origination ,because of that, this showed up  .
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T17:53:37.977Z
I don't even know what that means. How is a result 'intelligent'?
Ted Wrigley
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T18:04:38.790Z
Its like an animal adapting to its environment ,the change that occurred in it was not merely random but led to a result that solved a problem for the animal ,thus the change due to impermanence of the state of the cells was not random but intelligent..if you didn't recognize the quality by experiencing it ,I cannot explain it to you.
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-11T15:31:38.457Z
First (pardon the pedantic moment), *animals* don't adapt, *species* adapt. And that kind of adaptation is not 'intelligent' except in hindsight: there is no foresight involved in it, just a gradual shift as some adaptations prove more successful. For instance, there's no particular reason why humans have five fingers rather than four or six, and if we had evolved to have four fingers we would think that design was just as intelligent as we currently think five fingers is. That process is neither random nor intelligent.
Ted Wrigley
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-14T18:28:57.143Z
Yes , I only  speak of it as insight ,when something reacts to causes and conditions in a constructive way ,the quality felt is intelligence.So due to the sun the flower opened its peatels ,that change was good for the flower ,that change has an intelligent quality..This is exactly what I wanted to say
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-14T18:32:41.567Z
Yes I meant to say the change due to impermenance has intelligent quality not impermenance itself
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-10T15:47:06.290Z
2019-11-10T15:47:06.290Z
Ted Wrigley
<p>I think the "intelligence" is a projection -- i.e. that it is your saying, "that's clever, that fits, that's purposeful, that make sense to me."</p>

<p>I think impermanence happens because of causes -- e.g. a cup is made from clay, later the cup is broken.</p>

<p>I don't see it's useful to apply the word "intelligent" -- maybe the cup being broken is "negligent" rather than "intelligent", or maybe it's "natural".</p>

<p>It may be a human tendency to ascribe intelligence -- see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">animism</a>.</p>

<p>I don't remember suttas which support the view that "impermanence is intelligent", although of course it says a lot of other things.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-14T18:16:16.577Z
Yes so the quality of the reaction to the causes and conditions is what I felt as intelligent.The very fact that I felt that must also be because of causes and conditions
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-14T08:30:59.563Z
2019-11-14T08:30:59.563Z
ChrisW
<p>The Oxford dictionary defines intelligence as &quot;the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.&quot; The nature of impermanence is that what is born also dies, and what is acquired is lost. And this applies to knowledge and skills, which are also acquired and lost. Intelligence itself is impermanent--it waxes and wanes as well.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn16/en/sujato#dn16:6.11.13" rel="nofollow noreferrer">dn16</a>: ‘Conditions are impermanent. How could it possibly be otherwise?’”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Buddhism addresses the end of suffering. And that would require an end to grasping at impermanence:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an10.93/en/sujato#an10.93:14.1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">an10.93</a>: “Sirs, anything that is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent.</p>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an10.93/en/sujato#an10.93:14.2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">an10.93</a>: And what’s impermanent is suffering.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Specifically, what is important about impermanence is that, intelligent or random, impermanence is just ...</p>
<p>... <em>unsatisfactory</em>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T23:31:49.783Z
2019-11-09T23:31:49.783Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
OyaMist
<p>I don't know if I'm following your point but impermanence in Buddhism isn't intelligent or a belief but is merely what one notices objectivly when not distracted by habits &amp; beliefs. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T01:37:21.237Z
yes it is noticed ,from that noticing also the change that is occurring,is it just a random change or intelligent ?
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T02:08:25.467Z
Are you talking about the insight that arises from witnessing impermanance? Insight may seem random but really it is just a matter of the right conditions arising for insight to arise. It's like wandering through a labyrinth and being fortunate  enough to find the way out. The more we make the right conditions arise, the higher the chance of accidentally  discovering  insight. Nothing is random in samsara as everything in existence has causes and conditions that are never random but because we don't know the underlying causes and conditions things may appear random.
Lowbrow
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T02:18:37.200Z
Yes thats what I mean .The change due to impermanence itself I noticed is good for all beings ,so it isn't just a ruthless rule but has intelligent quality because all the causes and conditions you talked about make sense together, they fit and thats smart.
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T01:25:43.483Z
2019-11-09T01:25:43.483Z
Lowbrow
<p>What is the nature of the change due to impermanence ,is it just a random change or intelligent change ?,are the actions resulting from it considered right action or that depends on the degree of identification that the impermanent person/thing is having towards another person/thing?.</p>

<p>The more I watch it I see that sometimes this change or flux is not just random and is intelligent.All the changes happening inside the body and mind do not require a doer but are intelligent.Can the nature or the behavior of the change be also recognized ?.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T20:03:08.243Z
I tried to clear the question a bit more ,check it out again please.This is important question for me
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T20:26:06.233Z
In and out-breath is considered bodily fabrication. That means it is not automatic. It is done by the mind or thought.
SarathW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T20:28:20.623Z
What does "will" mean? Does it mean the same thing as "somebody's desire"? Are you suggesting that everything happens because God wants it to happen? And are you asking whether that (i.e. "everything happens because God wants it to happen") is Buddhist doctrine?
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T21:04:15.707Z
@ChrisW to be specific ,Iam asking about the nature of impermanence ,weather the actions resulting from it are considered right action or that depends on the degree of identification that the impermanent person/thing is having to another person/thing?.
Omar Boshra
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-08T21:11:35.817Z
Please check the update guys ,the update is the question.
Omar Boshra
<sunyata><impermanence><god><nonduality>
Can the change due to impermanence be considered intelligent?
# Can the change due to impermanence be considered intelligent?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-11-08)

What is the nature of the change due to impermanence ,is it just a random change or intelligent change ?,are the actions resulting from it considered right action or that depends on the degree of identification that the impermanent person/thing is having towards another person/thing?.

The more I watch it I see that sometimes this change or flux is not just random and is intelligent.All the changes happening inside the body and mind do not require a doer but are intelligent.Can the nature or the behavior of the change be also recognized ?.

**Tags:** sunyata, impermanence, god, nonduality

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I tried to clear the question a bit more ,check it out again please.This is important question for me  
> **username_1**: In and out-breath is considered bodily fabrication. That means it is not automatic. It is done by the mind or thought.  
> **username_2**: What does "will" mean? Does it mean the same thing as "somebody's desire"? Are you suggesting that everything happens because God wants it to happen? And are you asking whether that (i.e. "everything happens because God wants it to happen") is Buddhist doctrine?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 to be specific ,Iam asking about the nature of impermanence ,weather the actions resulting from it are considered right action or that depends on the degree of identification that the impermanent person/thing is having to another person/thing?.  
> **username_0**: Please check the update guys ,the update is the question.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-11-10. Score: 1

Buddhism isn't overly concerned with the *source* or *cause* of impermanence. The Buddhist problematic is that the mind fixates on permanence — on wanting things to be a certain way, always — and that fixation causes misery of various sorts when things *do* change (as they inevitably will).

I'm not certain what thought or insight is bubbling around behind this question (perhaps it hasn't made itself clear even to you, yet), but you should be aware that fixating on impermanence can be just as problematic as fixating on anything else. Who or what are you trying to ascribe intelligence to?

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: To impermanence itself.....out of watching impermanence that quality is recognized,a quality of impermanence  ,I find that the changes inside the body or in the heavens for example ,are intelligent changes,, the changes that result due to impermanence seem wise .  
> **username_3**: Impermanence is not a 'thing' that you can ascribe qualities (like intelligence) to. Impermanence is merely a quality. If impermanence were a 'thing' it too would be impermanent...  
> **username_0**: What I mean just like Impermanence was recognized as a quality of a thing also the result that occurred due to this quality was intelligent ,so intelligence was also recognized as a quality of a thing due to impermanence,that goes in line with dependent origination ,because of that, this showed up  .  
> **username_3**: I don't even know what that means. How is a result 'intelligent'?  
> **username_0**: Its like an animal adapting to its environment ,the change that occurred in it was not merely random but led to a result that solved a problem for the animal ,thus the change due to impermanence of the state of the cells was not random but intelligent..if you didn't recognize the quality by experiencing it ,I cannot explain it to you.  
> **username_3**: First (pardon the pedantic moment), *animals* don't adapt, *species* adapt. And that kind of adaptation is not 'intelligent' except in hindsight: there is no foresight involved in it, just a gradual shift as some adaptations prove more successful. For instance, there's no particular reason why humans have five fingers rather than four or six, and if we had evolved to have four fingers we would think that design was just as intelligent as we currently think five fingers is. That process is neither random nor intelligent.  
> **username_0**: Yes , I only  speak of it as insight ,when something reacts to causes and conditions in a constructive way ,the quality felt is intelligence.So due to the sun the flower opened its peatels ,that change was good for the flower ,that change has an intelligent quality..This is exactly what I wanted to say  
> **username_0**: Yes I meant to say the change due to impermenance has intelligent quality not impermenance itself  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-11-14. Score: 0

I think the "intelligence" is a projection -- i.e. that it is your saying, "that's clever, that fits, that's purposeful, that make sense to me."

I think impermanence happens because of causes -- e.g. a cup is made from clay, later the cup is broken.

I don't see it's useful to apply the word "intelligent" -- maybe the cup being broken is "negligent" rather than "intelligent", or maybe it's "natural".

It may be a human tendency to ascribe intelligence -- see [animism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism).

I don't remember suttas which support the view that "impermanence is intelligent", although of course it says a lot of other things.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes so the quality of the reaction to the causes and conditions is what I felt as intelligent.The very fact that I felt that must also be because of causes and conditions  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-11-09. Score: 0

The Oxford dictionary defines intelligence as "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills." The nature of impermanence is that what is born also dies, and what is acquired is lost. And this applies to knowledge and skills, which are also acquired and lost. Intelligence itself is impermanent--it waxes and wanes as well.

> [dn16](https://suttacentral.net/dn16/en/sujato#dn16:6.11.13): ‘Conditions are impermanent. How could it possibly be otherwise?’”

Buddhism addresses the end of suffering. And that would require an end to grasping at impermanence:

> [an10.93](https://suttacentral.net/an10.93/en/sujato#an10.93:14.1): “Sirs, anything that is created, conditioned, chosen, and dependently originated is impermanent.
>
> [an10.93](https://suttacentral.net/an10.93/en/sujato#an10.93:14.2): And what’s impermanent is suffering.

Specifically, what is important about impermanence is that, intelligent or random, impermanence is just ...

... *unsatisfactory*.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-11-09. Score: 0

I don't know if I'm following your point but impermanence in Buddhism isn't intelligent or a belief but is merely what one notices objectivly when not distracted by habits & beliefs.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: yes it is noticed ,from that noticing also the change that is occurring,is it just a random change or intelligent ?  
> **username_5**: Are you talking about the insight that arises from witnessing impermanance? Insight may seem random but really it is just a matter of the right conditions arising for insight to arise. It's like wandering through a labyrinth and being fortunate  enough to find the way out. The more we make the right conditions arise, the higher the chance of accidentally  discovering  insight. Nothing is random in samsara as everything in existence has causes and conditions that are never random but because we don't know the underlying causes and conditions things may appear random.  
> **username_0**: Yes thats what I mean .The change due to impermanence itself I noticed is good for all beings ,so it isn't just a ruthless rule but has intelligent quality because all the causes and conditions you talked about make sense together, they fit and thats smart.  

---

