Day 9 Morning Talk on Non-Self (Anatta) - Nov 2013 Ajahn Brahm Retreat

From Ajahn Brahm's November 2013 retreat at Jhana Grove, Serpentine, Western Australia

[@davidsenjaya3195]

It's hilarious 😂 Ajahn

[@ivanmorgan958]

Mind blowing, thank you so much Ajahn Brahm

[@kathodosdotcom]

Specifically in sutra, anatta is used to describe the temporal and unreal (metaphysically so) nature of any and all composite, consubstantial, phenomenal, and temporal things, from macrocosmic to microcosmic, be it matter as pertains the physical body, the cosmos at large, including any and all mental machinations which are of the nature of arising and passing. Anatta in sutra is synonymous and interchangeable with the terms dukkha (suffering) and anicca (impermanent); all three terms are often used in triplet in making a blanket statement as regards any and all phenomena. Such as: “All these aggregates are anicca, dukkha, and anatta.” It should be further noted that, in doctrine, that the only noun which is branded permanent (nicca), is obviously and logically so, the noun attan [Skt. Atman], such as passage (SN 1.169). Anatta refers specifically and only to the absence of the permanent soul as pertains any or all of the psycho-physical (namo-rupa) attributes, or khandhas (skandhas, aggregates). Anatta/Anatman in the earliest existing Buddhist texts, the Nikayas, is an adjective, (A is anatta, B is anatta, C is anatta). The commonly (=profane, consensus, herd-views) held belief to wit that: “Anatta means no-soul, therefore Buddhism taught that there was no soul” is an irrational absurdity which cannot be found or doctrinally substantiated by means of the Nikayas, the suttas (Skt. Sutras), of Buddhism. The Pali compound term and noun for “no soul” is natthatta (literally “there is not/no[nattha]+atta’[Soul]), not the term anatta, and is mentioned at Samyutta Nikaya 4.400, where Gotama was asked if there “was no- soul (natthatta)”, to which Gotama equated this position to be a Nihilistic heresy (ucchedavada). Common throughout Buddhist sutra (and Vedanta as well) is the denial of psycho-physical attributes of the mere empirical self to be the Soul, or confused with same. The Buddhist paradigm (and the most common repeating passage in sutta) as regards phenomena is “Na me so atta” (this/these are not my soul), this most common utterance of Gotama the Buddha in the Nikayas, where “na me so atta” = Anatta/Anatman. In sutta, to hold the view that there was “no-Soul” (natthatta) is = natthika (nihilist). Buddhism differs from the “nothing-morist” (Skt. Nastika, Pali natthika) in affirming a spiritual nature that is not in any wise, but immeasurable, inconnumerable, infinite, and inaccessible to observation; and of which, therefore, empirical science can neither affirm nor deny the reality thereof of him who has ‘Gone to That[Brahman]” (tathatta). It is to the Spirit (Skt. Atman, Pali attan) as distinguished from oneself (namo-rupa/ or khandhas, mere self as = anatta) i.e., whatever is phenomenal and formal (Skt. and Pali nama-rupa, and savinnana-kaya) “name and appearance”, and the “body with its consciousness”. [SN 2.17] ‘Nonbeing (asat, natthiti [views of either sabbamnatthi ‘the all is ultimately not’ (atomism), and sabbam puthuttan ‘the all is merely composite’ [SN 2.77] both of this positions are existential antinomies, and heresies of annihilationism])’”. In contrast it has been incorrectly asserted that affirmation of the atman is = sassatavada (conventionally deemed ‘eternalism’). However the Pali term sasastavada is never associated with the atman, but that the atman was an agent (karmin) in and of samsara which is subject to the whims of becoming (bhava), or which is meant kammavada (karma-ism, or merit agencyship); such as sassatavada in sutta = “atta ca so loka ca” (the atman and the world [are one]), or: ‘Being (sat, atthiti [views of either sabbamatthi ‘the all is entirety’, and sabbamekattan ‘the all is one’s Soul’ [SN 2.77] both are heresies of perpetualism]). Sasastavada is the wrong conception that one is perpetually (sassata) bound within samsara and that merit is the highest attainment for either this life or for the next. The heretical antinomy to nihilism (vibhava, or = ucchedavada) is not, nor in sutta, the atman, but bhava (becoming, agencyship). Forever, or eternal becoming is nowhere in sutta identified with the atman, which is “never an agent (karmin)”, and “has never become anything” (=bhava). These antinomies of bhava (sassatavada) and vibhava (ucchedavada) both entail illogical positions untenable to the Vedantic or Buddhist atman; however the concept of “eternalism” as = atman has been the fallacious secondary crutch for supporting the no-atman commentarialists position on anatta implying = there is no atman.

[@davidbrainerd1520]

In Samyutta Nikaya 44.10, Buddha denies 3 things: (1) That he is confirming the Brahmin doctrine of the Atman (i.e. that there is only one self in the universe, i.e. Brahma, and we all share this one soul). He says he did not tell Vachagotta "there is atman" or "there is self" because he doesn't want him to think he's confirming this. (2) That there is no self at all. He says he does not tell Vachagotta "there is no self" because Vachagotta might interpret it as if he doesn't exist. (3) That any conditioned phenomenom, like the body, or the aggregates, is the self. The one thing Buddha does not deny is the standard Western doctrine of the self, i.e. that we all have our OWN immaterial soul, and do not share one soul amongst us all and do not lack a soul.

[@kathodosdotcom]

Number of times anatta’ (all variants) occurs in Nikayas: 662 Number of times anatta’ (all variants) occurs in Atthakathas (commentaries): 493 ALL 22 THINGS THAT ARE SAID TO BE ANATTA (i.e. “devoid of/without Selfhood/Soul” in Sutta) Ru’pa form vedana’ feelings sañña’ perceptions san’kha’ra’ impulses viñña’n.a sentience/consciousness sabba (aggregates/ “the all”) cakkhu eye cakkhuviñña’n.a visual mental-forms cakkhusamphasso vision contact tan.ha’ lusts-desires mano mind/mentation manoviñña’n.a mental formations manosamphasso mental contact Sota ear gha’na nose jivha’ tongue ka’yo body ra’go lusts kot.t.hika cell "body-cell" asa’rakat.t.hena’ unreal and foul asubham. disgusting asubha’niccadukkha’ti disgusting, impermanent and suffering

[@kathodosdotcom]

pure trash, 100% lies not found in sutta. Another Mara-demon. "Soul as a refuge with none other as refuge” DN 2.100 “tattha atta’ va sarathi” --------“the Soul is Charioteer”

[@davidsenjaya3195]

Stop your bullshit Māra, you are seen.