The Four Inverted Views
A Guide to Reality
Introduction
Ordinary people often perceive reality through a distorted lens, flipping truth and falsehood. These misperceptions are grouped into four pairs of opposites, known as the “Inverted Views” in Buddhism.
Pair 1: Permanence vs. Impermanence
1. Mistaking the Impermanent for the Permanent
While the self-nature (the Buddha-nature) is truly constant and unchanging, deluded minds project this permanence onto the wrong things. They observe the flux of day and night or the shifting seasons and mistakenly believe that even the “container”—emptiness itself—is changing. In truth, all phenomena appear and vanish within an immovable, eternal emptiness.
2. Mistaking the Permanent for the Impermanent
The physical body is a stream of constant decay, shifting from infancy to old age. Yet, deluded people cling to this ever-changing form, insisting there is a solid, eternal “me” inside it. They treat a fleeting shadow as if it were an everlasting monument.
Pair 2: Pleasure vs. Suffering
3. Mistaking Suffering for Pleasure
Addictions and cravings—whether for delicacies, luxury, or intimate partners—shackle the mind. These attachments are heavy burdens that breed inner conflict and long-term agony. However, the deluded mind perceives these chains as sources of enjoyment and bliss.
4. Mistaking Pleasure for Suffering
Ethical precepts act as a shield, protecting the mind from harmful karma and leading to genuine peace and freedom. Yet, deluded people view these guidelines as painful restrictions. They mistake the very gate to liberation for a prison of bondage.
Pair 3: Purity vs. Impurity
5. Mistaking the Pure for the Impure
Many judge reality by surface appearance rather than substance. For instance, healthy human urine is often biologically cleaner than the untreated water in rivers and oceans. Yet, due to deep-seated prejudice, ordinary people regard it as inherently filthy and repulsive.
6. Mistaking the Impure for the Pure
When investigated deeply, sensual desires reveal an unclean nature. Beautiful bodies are merely vessels filled with blood, mucus, and waste. Even the food we eat grows from decay and excrement. Yet, the deluded mind ignores this reality, perceiving these impure things as attractive and pristine.
Pair 4: Self vs. No-Self
7. Mistaking the True Self for “No-Self”
The self-nature (the Buddha-nature) is the only true, unchanging “I.” Yet, some deluded seekers go to the other extreme, denying this core reality and insisting that absolutely everything is empty, ownerless, and non-existent.
8. Mistaking “No-Self” for the Self
People mistakenly identify with the “false self”—the impermanent body and the fleeting stream of thoughts and emotions. They believe, “This body is me; these thoughts are who I am,” failing to see that these are merely temporary phenomena arising and passing away.
Summary
These four pairs of inversions are the fundamental cognitive errors that trap us in the cycle of suffering.
To correct them is to align one’s vision with the truth,
which is the very essence of liberation.
May you see reality clearly, and may wisdom guide your path to liberation.
Thank you for reading. May you find peace and wisdom on your journey.