It would be better to discuss, how does the all living beings
accept the term Anatta, than discussing it’s term, definition and
interpretation directly. Here in this term called the nature of the world means
the nature of all living beings. Life is permanent, full of happiness and
soulfulness or selfness signs consist, coincide and correspond within the human
mind. Ordinary means accepting ‘I, Me and my’’ within oneself and every substances.
The beings that are besting and
inserting in this concept, until knowing the teaching of the enlightened one,
regard, appreciate and estimate all the substance as permanent, happiness and soulfulness and selfness.
In the Dvetanupassna Suttana, Buddha said that it is the nature of
ordinary person to regard or estimate matter as beautiful, sounds, smells, and
tastes until it exists. [1]
Such
a person, though, sees the predicates of changing and destroying on every
substances, being attached with the thought called “I, Me and my, hope
soulfulness and selfness within it. If-so-facto, he looks forward the
happiness, and regard himself as, this I, me and my body it. This thought can
be uprooted, eradicated and demolished through the insight meditation (Vidassena).
Starting to do insight meditation is hoping the concepts no-soul, selfless and
egoless than anticipating or awaiting the soulfulness and selfness. Having
strong bondage with the unhappiness and unsatisfactory essentiality, quiddity
and commodity, while doing meditation, the mediator contemplates the signs of
unhappiness and un-satisfactoriness. Being impermanent all the substances,
essentialities, quddities and commodities, he contemplates the signs of
impermanence. While contemplating the signs of a impermanence, the mediators
develop and understand Sakkaya Ditthi and Asmimanaya within oneself.
Here he understands the visions of the ordinary person and it’s functions. In Dwetanupassana sutta, Buddha
explained further more.
‘’The
ordinary deities along with all the human beings and animals, regard these
impermanent form and matters as beautiful, adorable, pleasant and preferential
etc, so these all the impermanent substance feel to them as permanent. If those
concepts are barricade and blockade towards the way of ultimate truth (Nibbana),
it has been regarded and accepted by the world as the unpleasant, unfavorable,
and preferential tediously. The noble person distraction, eradication,
uprooting and cessation of the Pancaskhandha as the pleasant and happiness,
but, the ordinary people against this vision because of their less and minus
understanding about the phenomenon of the world. (Yadaniccam Hoti Sabba
Lokena Passatam), whatever the things, ordinary people see as the pleasant and
preferential, the noble person sees as suffering. If the ordinary people say
the ultimate reality (Nibbana) as the states of suffering, the noble one
would say it as the pleasant and suffering fewer states. The goofs and unwise
are ignorant about the ultimate truth (Nibbana), so, they have
diametrically opposite views. As soon as the ignorance barricade and blockade or
grasp the heart and mind of the ordinary people, the darkness arises on their
way towards the ultimate truth (Nibbana) but, the wise person sees it as
the arising sun in the morning with brightness all around. Even though, the
ultimate happiness (Nibbana) exists within one own self, but, the
unwise, blind beast like people, do not see it. (Santikena Vijaananati
Magaadhamassa Kovida), the person who are attached with the impermanent
worldly satisfaction, and filled with tangle, could not realize the ultimate
happiness which is permanent. (Maradheyyanupannehi Nayam Dhammo Susambudho),
if there is any person, who can distract the five mental hindrances and achieve
the ultimate truth, then; it would be only the noble person.’’[1]
According
to the analysis of the Dwetanupassana Sutta, implies or emphasize that
the way the world has grasped the term about the cosmos as permanent,
satisfactory substances and soul, self and ego. Until the realization of truth
wisdom and it’s fruits, the ordinary people cling on it. Grasp it regarding as the
permanent happiness. The things or mind and matter that could not be got as the
soul, self and ego, they grasp and cling on it. Within, the person who get
these two minds and matter as soul, self and ego, arise the tranquility that
makes to be born again and again in this world.[1]
The beings, which get birth again and again in
to this world, even though, in general, they have understanding about the form
and matter as impermanent substances and could be ceased, do not pay attention
to cease (Nirodhati) this phenomenon. According to the Buddhism, whenever, the
matter, sounds, smells, tastes and contact, hap tics and touches, get as a
touchable substance, as a substance of affection, appreciation and feeling, as
a form of cognition and as the substance of intention, thought and volition,
then, could be realized or counted as the relationship between form and matter.
Due to this relationship between form and matter, ordinary beings come to
cognize themselves as ‘I, Me and my’’ concepts. Persistence means
misunderstanding or unawareness these functions. Every faculty of sense comes
to be persistence, prevalence and existence due to those above mentioned
experiences. Even though, these deeds are adequate, appurtenant. Appropriate
and commensurate to be disgusted and dissatisfied, inappropriate and
incommensurate to be cling and attached, capable to abstain and coagulate but
the ordinary person does not see it. He keep contemplating it as permanent,
happiness and soulfulness, selfless and full of ego.
The concepts of “Anatta’’
The definition and interpretation of the term Anatta (Impermanent,
emptiness) is the characteristic of the non-existence of a permanent soul, self
and ego. Most of Buddhist scholars as well as philosophers find quite difficult
to understand this concepts. Probably, Anatta (“Atman” in
Sanskrit) means there is no any permanent “I, Me and my.” That is the reason
why, the notion of the Non-self, is hard to comprehend as even question such as
“who am I?” “Is there and I?” “Is this me?’’ are inappropriate from the point
of view of Anatta (Impermanent).
In his books called “Three characteristics”, Anthony
Perera defines the term Anatta thus as “Anatta means there is no ever-lasting thing or factor in our body or mind that
we can call our personal self. Just as what we call a chariot is made up of
wheels, a chassis and hood, our body is a compilation of the head, body, arms
and legs and internal organs. If taken apart, there is nothing we can call ‘the
chariot’ or ‘me’ there.”[1] Accordance with Mr.
Perera’s analysis the term Anatta, there nothing could call
permanent that is consisting within our body. Even our mind is not permanent
substance, because, mind is ever changing flux of though and emotions. Venerable Buddhagosa
has said, “If a man takes the body as ‘himself’ it is more understandable
than the man who takes the mind as ‘himself’. At least the body appears to stay the same for some time; the mind on
the other hand changes so speedily, that only a fool would take it as the
‘self’. Therefore neither the body nor mind can be referred and accept as
the permanent substance soul, self and ego.
According to the Buddhist encyclopedia the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance
that can be called the soul. Instead, the individual is compounded of five
factors (Pali khandha; Sanskrit skandha)
that are constantly changing.[2]
Accordance with the Buddha, the Anatta or No-soul, selfless an
ego cannot be understands alone. It should be apprehend, comprehend and conceive with other two characteristics
tediously called impermanent (Anicca), suffering, unhappiness and
unsatisfactory substances because, it is functions together. The most eminent
matter is, it object, prey and persistence to all the phenomena of cause and
effects. The chattel and object that is accompanying the suffering, unhappiness
and un-satisfactoriness, never would be permanent and copious, fecund, lush,
and productive. And the unfertile, un-meaty, un-pithy and unhealthy things
never could be the permanent and fruitful. It is mean all the conditional things
are impermanent, suffering and No-soul and selfless. Form etc all the
aggregates are atrophy, dwindle and decay so, it is impermanent (Aniccam
Khayatthena). It is fearful so filled with suffering (Dukkham
Bhayatthena). It is fruitless so, there areno-soul and self within it (Anatta Asaaratthena)[1].
As I mentioned above, these three characteristics are not separated. It is
connected to each other and functions together. ‘’Whatever the things are
impermanent, in it exist suffering. Whatever the things are filled with
suffering, that has n0-soul and selfless. Therefore, in these three
characteristics, nothing to get as me, I and my’’[2]
Once the pupils of the Maha Vira, one of the
Indian prominent savants, came to the Buddha and explored that, he accepts the
form etc as the permanent, soulfulness, selfness and full with ego. At that
time, critically, the Buddha asked him back. “Oh, Agnivessana, if you
say that, the form is soulfulness, self and ego, your body should present in
this way and that way, can you be the ruler of your body?’’ In that question, saccaka kept quite.
In this way, Buddha asked about the feeling, perception, conditional things and
consciousness and then, discussed based on three characteristics.
1.
“Oh, Agnivessana, what do you
think, whether the form is permanent or impermanent? (Yam kim Mannasi
Agnivessana rupam niccam vaa aniccamti)”
“Impermanent, Oh Gotama, form
is (Aniccam bho Gotama)”
2.
If the form is impermanent, what is
the fruits of it’s are, suffering or happiness? (Yam pananiccam tam dukkham
vaa sukham it)
“Suffering, Oh Gotama, the fruits
are. (Dukkham bho Gotama)”
3.
“If the form is impermanent, fruits
are suffering and is the process of changing, then, could it be thought me, I
and my?’’ (Yam panaaniccam dukkham viparinaama dhammam kallannu tan
samaanupassitum etam mama esohamasmi eso me attati)”
“Nay, Oh Gotama. (Nohidam
bho Gotama)”[3]
Whenever, we talk about the concept of Anatta,
we should concern the Conditional genesis (Paticca Samuppada), as well
as the analysis of the five aggregates too, the idea of an abiding substance of
man or outside man, whether it is me, I and my or just a false belief. According
to the Theravada Buddhism, there are no self within the individual (Puggala)
or in Dhammas. Mahayana Buddhism talks the same facts without the
slightest different.
“O’ Monks, accept a soul theory (Attavada) in
the acceptance of which three would not arise, grief, lamentation, suffering,
distress, and tribulation. But, do you see, O’ monks, such a soul theory in the
acceptance of which there would not arise grief, lamentation, suffering,
distress and tribulation?’’
“Certainly not, sir”
“Good, O’ monks, I too monks do not see a soul theory,
in the acceptance of which there would not arise, grief, lamentation,
suffering, distress and tribulation”[1]
According to these quotation, the Buddha had himself
accepted the theory of soul and has instructed to accept the soul theory to his
decuples too but not the soul that bring, grief, lamentation, suffering,
distress and tribulation but commiserative minded soul theory. Thus as these
matters explained the Buddha by in the Suttas. “O, monks, when neither
self nor anything pertaining to itself can truly and really be found this
speculative view: “the universe is that Atman (Soul), I shall be that after
death, permanent, and abiding, everlasting, unchanging, and I shall exist as
such for eternity”[2] but the real definition of
the statement is Atman or soul or self, is nowhere to be found and it is
foolish to look for it.
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