Sayadaw: There are the three universal characteristics of nama-rupa (samanna-lakkhana) – anicca, dukkha, anatta – and there are the specific characteristics (sabhava-lakkhana).
For example, fire element has its own characteristic – burning. The first step is to understand that every paramatta or nama-rupa process has its own characteristic. Later, we can understand the 3 universal characteristics of all nama-rupa.
But many yogis forget about the specific nature of processes, they don’t want to understand this. They just want to find out about the universal characteristics.
First, we need to understand the specific characteristics before we can understand anicca, dukkha and anatta.
The 4 elements have their own characteristics and we need to understand them, one by one.
Yogi: Sayadaw, what are the specific characteristics that we need to understand?
Sayadaw: Everything; like now you are watching the mind and the object. Knowing and being known, these are the specific characteristics of awareness and object.