Buddhist philosophy is an enterprise that looks into the meaning,content,and implications of the fundamental enlightenment experience of the buddha, for the light it sheds on the basic questions of human existence. this present article takes a journey through the "sutta nipata",a collection of teachings attributed to the buddha, and examines three "moments" involved in the buddhist experience,namely the vision of impermanence ("anicca") as starting point,selflessness ("anatta") as point of arrival,and the state of perfect peace and freedom ("nibbana") as ultimate goal. the realization of this goal however does not lead to other-worldly aloofness but to ongoing concern with other living beings with the compassion that is but a natural outcome of this selfless state in peace and freedom.