NOT self rather than NO self
-
Buddha never say there's NO self. He kept quiet in Order to Reject both extremes. As if you believe in a Permenant Self/soul, it will lead to selffishness toward others. And if you believe that that's no Self/soul, people will do what ever they like, example like killing, stealing, all evil deeds etcs.
What Buddha taught?? He taught NOT self rather than NO self. There's different between Not and No. NOT self mean it's always changing and it reject the self nature of a self. Here is a useful maxim to remember the core concept of Sunyata and Not-self by:
Not-self Affirms the Existence of Self;
yet Not-self Negates the Self-nature of Self.
fyi:
No-self or Not-self?
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/notself2.html
---
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/dhammananda/115.htm
When we have attained perfection then we will be able to realize whether there is a soul or not. A wandering ascetic named Vacchagotta asked the Buddha whether there was an Atman (self) or not. The story is as follows:
Vacchagotta comes to the Buddha and asks:
'Venerable Gotama, is there an Atman ?
The Buddha is silent.
'Then Venerable Gotama, is there no Atman?
Again the Buddha is silent.
Vacchagotta gets up and goes away.
After the ascetic has left, Ananda asks the Buddha why He did not answer Vacchagotta's question. The Buddha explains His position:
'Ananda, when asked by Vacchagotta, the Wanderer: 'Is there a Self?, if I had answered: 'There is a Self'. Then, Ananda, that would be siding with those recluses and brahmanas who hold the eternalist theory (sassata-vada).'
'And Ananda, when asked by the Wanderer: 'Is there no Self?, if I had answered: 'There is no Self', then that would be siding with those recluses and brahmanas who hold the annihilationist theory( uccedavada)'.
'Again, Ananda, when asked by Vacchagotta: 'Is there a Self? If I had answered: 'There is a Self', would that be in accordance with my knowledge that all dhammas are without Self?
'Surely not, Sir.'
'And again, Ananda, when asked by the Wanderer: 'Is there no Self?', if I had answered: 'There is no Self', then that would have created a greater confusion in the already confused Vacchagotta. For he would have thought: Formerly indeed I had an Atman(Self), but now I haven't got one.' (Samyutta Nikaya).
/\ -
Not-self is about Change rather than Nothingness.
since sentinet beings go from one life to another, they forget their last life. So say in one life, one becomes a fireman, one thinks that the fireman-self is real; and then in another life, one become a doctor and one thinks that the doctor-self is real; etcs.
Buddha rejected this specific self-clinging self. There's actually no real fireman-self and doctor-self that is permanent. It's because beings cling to a specific self, that their emotions get affected and hence cause suffering. Like watching a movie, a movie is not suppose to be real, but people while watching it thinks that it's real, hence they feel sad, happy and so on. Only when one stop to cling to this unreal samsara(including heavens), will one be truely living in True happiness state ie Nirvana.
/\ -
Yes, no two moments are the same, even for the "Self", which is actually empty.
Life (Self) is nothing other than the continuous flow of the Now Moment.
The Now Moment ceases as it arises. This moment must completely ceased
and serves as the CAUSE for the next moment to arise.
Therefore Self is a process of series Self1, Self2, Self3, Self4, Self5, Self6...etc
A fixed entity 'Self' does not exist, what really exists is a momentary Self.
Under deep meditation, one is able to observe and sense the karmic and mental factors from moment to moment,
it is these factors that are succeeded from moment to moment and life and life but not a fixed entity.
When the karmic and mental factors subsides, it is known as "The True and Only (and Inherently egoless) Conscious Light (Itself)".
- Thusness -
Agreed. No self. it was hard for 'me' tounderstand no self. 'I' took a long time to understand this no self after listaning to some lecture.
Once one is able to understand no self, attitude and character start to change and less delusion. Things and incident are more clear in one's mind.
Everytime, when 'I' made a mistake by killing an ants, 'I' have to think for aleast 2 weeks to understand it and let it go. But now, thought are much faster.
Metta.
May merits to transfer to all sentient being. -
Hmm.... make sure you don't make the same mistakes to kill the ants again lor..Originally posted by chanmalichan:Agreed. No self. it was hard for 'me' tounderstand no self. 'I' took a long time to understand this no self after listaning to some lecture.
Once one is able to understand no self, attitude and character start to change and less delusion. Things and incident are more clear in one's mind.
Everytime, when 'I' made a mistake by killing an ants, 'I' have to think for aleast 2 weeks to understand it and let it go. But now, thought are much faster.
Metta.
May merits to transfer to all sentient being. -
Awareness is in placedOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Hmm.... make sure you don't make the same mistakes to kill the ants again lor.. -
Yes, constantly mindful of Mind, Speech, Action, nothing cld go wrong!Originally posted by chanmalichan:Awareness is in placed