Expert: Justin Choo - 11/19/2004

Question
since buddhist suttana makes no mention of a 'no-soul doctrine', NOR does the context of anatman/anatta point to a no-soul stance.....

why does  nearly all pathetic 'teachers' and books on "buddhism" espouse that: "Buddhism teaches there is no soul!"....?

"at no time has the Tathagata taught that there is no Soul"-----------------Anguttara 3.81

"The Khandhas are what is meant by Anatta"-------Khandhavagga-Samyutta  XIV.12

"what does Anatman mean Lord Gotama?....Just this only ,...form is Not-Soul (anatman), feeling is Not-Soul (anatman)....."  [SN 3.195]

"all these (khandhas) are what is meant by (the term) ANATTA"---------SN 3.08

Answer
Hi Ken,

Thank you for asking me.

Your last 3 sutta quotations all confirmed the Buddha's exposition of the concept of anatta.  That leaves only the 1st quotation which I have yet to refer to the referenced text.

The fact that the term "anatta" has so many translated terms in English, shows that it is not a simple and clear-cut concept.  Added to this, our understanding of this concept is also found wanting, due to our deluded mindset.
It is quite impossible to understand any concept which we have no experience at all.  That is why in order to  understand the ultimate truths as propounded by the Buddha, we need to achieve a higher level of spiritual advancement.  Until we have this higher spiritual realization, we can only be satisfied with our worldly understanding given our limited mental faculty, by trying to analyse the Buddha's Higher Language.

I must admit that I am not an expert in Pali Tipitaka, neither am I a scholar in Buddhism.  In this respect I am quite happy that I don't have to go into deep and penetrating analyses of all the Buddha's suttas, saving myself the agony of trying to comprehend FULLY every detail of the Buddha's teachings, and trying to resolve every contradiction along the way.

As a practising lay Buddhist, it is most important that we understand the Buddha's very practical and simple message....to avoid evil, to do good, to purify the mind.

In the Anatta-Lakkhana Sutta (under the Khandha Vagga Samyutta Pali, Samyutta Nikaya), the anatta concept is clearly confirmed by the Buddha.

May I refer you to Thanissaro Bhikkhu's lengthy article on this subject of anatta, "The Not-self Strategy" in this site:

www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/modern/thanissaro/notself.html

I found that Thanissaro Bhikkhu has presented a very scholarstic explanation of the "controversy" of the anatta concept.  I hope his explanation will provide the answers to your question.

I take the liberty to quote him:
"and so the only true test for any interpretation is to put it into practice and see where it leads in terms of gaining release for the mind."



In the end, I think the quotation from Dhammapada 277-279
is worth contemplating:

'All conditioned things are inconstant' --(Anicca)
When one sees this with discernment
And grows disenchanted with stress,
   This is the path to purity.  

'All conditioned things are stressful' --(Dukkha)
When one sees this with discernment
And grows disenchanted with stress,
   This is the path to purity.

'All dhammas are not-self' --          --(Anatta)
When one sees this with discernment
And grows disenchanted with stress,
   This is the path to purity.

-- Dhp 277-79


Smile from justinchoo :-)