The Impossible Doctrine: "Not-self"

Ven. Nyanatiloka (editor BPS, author Buddhist Dictionary) and Wisdom Quarterly

Anattā: ("not-self," egolessness, impersonality) one of the three characteristics of existence. This doctrine teaches that neither in the material phenomena of the body, which are of four kinds (referred to collectively as "form" or materiality)

• fluidity
• heat
• support
• solidity

nor in the mental phenomena (referred to as "mind" or mentality), which are of four kinds

• sensation
• perception
• intention
• consciousness

is there to be found anything that in the ultimate sense can be regarded as an enduring self, ego, soul, identity, essence, or personality. Nor apart from these five (form, feeling, contact, volition, awareness) is such an entity to be found. There is no abiding substance. What is there? In the ultimate sense, there is impersonal phenomena. These things are taken to be a self, a soul, a real being who wills and experiences the fruit of skillful and unskillful karma.

This is the central and unique doctrine of Buddhism. Without understanding it, at least intellectually, an actual understanding of Buddhism is altogether impossible. It is the only really specific Buddhist doctrine, with which the entire structure of all Buddhist teaching stands or falls. The remaining Buddhist doctrines might, more or less, be found in other philosophical systems and religions. (Of course, they would not be aimed at the same goal nor posited in the same way as the Buddha teaches). But the anattā-doctrine has been clearly and unreservedly taught only by the Buddha.

On one occasion, asked about whether or not there was enlightenment and liberation in other teachings, the Buddha stated that unless there were an understanding of this doctrine, there could be no saints of the first, second, third, or fourth degree. Why? The deluded view clung to -- and the Five Aggregates regarded as a self are themselves called the "Aggregates of Clinging" -- keeps anyone searching from the ultimate truth that leads to liberation. The nonexistent self is not liberated. In a sense the self-idea, the pernicious view clung to, is released. It unravels under scrutiny. The truth sets one free as ignorance and delusion are dispelled.

Rebirth continues as an empty, aimless wandering -- hankering after pleasure and satisfaction here and there. Rebirth is possible because it is dependently arisen. That is, on account of ignorance other things come into being; on account of causes and conditions, the "entire mass of suffering" comes into being. Every link in the causal chain is impermanent and unsatisfactory. But the process is cyclical and incessant: The stream of cittas (the elements of perception and awareness) rolls on, carrying out its function, which is to experience objects. The impersonal (or empty) process moves forward as consciousness (vinanna) or life-continuum (bhavanga).

The anatta-doctrine is central because without glimpsing and penetrating this profound insight, there is no chance of stream-entry, the first degree of enlightenment and liberation from suffering. At best, suffering can be stalled or lessened, even for aeons, but again one will experience the result of karma, again falling prey to misery. As paradoxical as it may sound, the following is true: Although suffering is an illusion, a distortion of views that in the ultimate sense does not happen to anyone, since ultimately there is no self to experience it, there is an impersonal psycho-physical process that experiences it. And due to ignorance -- identifying with body, mind, and "personal" experience -- all the suffering in the world comes to be for an individual.

So embedded in the Dharma is this teaching that the Buddha is known as the anattā-vādi, or "Teacher of Impersonality." Of course, the Buddha distinguishes ultimate and conventional truth. Conventionally, we speak of a self, a soul, a real person who is intending and performing actions. Yet, it is an empty process not a reality. Ultimately, virtue, concentration, and insight reveal the liberating truth: the self, suffering, the world are not what they seem.

Whosoever has not penetrated the impersonality of all existence, and does not comprehend that in reality there exists only this continually self-consuming process of arising and passing bodily and mental phenomena, and that there is no separate ego-entity within or without this process, will not be able to understand Buddhism, that is, the teaching of the Four Noble Truths (sacca), in the right light.

Instead, one will think that it is one's ego, one's personality, that experiences suffering, one's personality that performs wholesome and unwholesome actions (karma), and that will be reborn according to these actions. One will think that it is one's personality that will "enter" into nirvana, one's personality that walks the Noble Eightfold Path. Thus it is said in the Path of Purification (Vis.M. XVI):

"Mere suffering exists, no sufferer is found; The deeds are, but no doer of the deeds is there; nirvana is, but not the one who enters it; the Path is, but no traveler on it is seen."

"Whosoever is not clear with regard to the conditionally-arisen phenomena, and does not comprehend that all the actions are conditioned through ignorance, and so on, thinks that it is an ego that understands or does not understand, that acts or causes to act, that comes to existence at rebirth...that has sense-impression, feels, desires, becomes attached, continues, and at rebirth again enters a new existence" (Vis.M. XVII, 117).

While in the case of the first two characteristics it is stated that all formations (sabbe saṅkhārā) -- all things that come into being -- are impermanent and unsatisfactory, the corresponding text for the third characteristic states that "all things are not-self" (sabbe dhammā anattā; MN 35, Dhp. 279).

This is to emphasize that the false view of an abiding self or substance is neither applicable to any "formation" (conditioned phenomenon) nor to nirvana, the unconditioned element (asaṅkhatā dhātu).

The Discourse on the Characteristic of Not-self (Anattā-lakkhaṇa sutra) was the Buddha's second discourse after enlightenment, delivered the first five disciples. After hearing it, they attained full enlightenment (arhatship).

The contemplation of not-self (anattānupassanā) leads to the emptiness liberation (suññatā-vimokkha, see vimokkha). Herein the faculty of wisdom (paññindriya) is outstanding. And one who attains the path of stream-entry in that way is called a Dharma-devotee (dhammānusāri; see ariya-puggala). At the next two stages of enlightenment, one becomes a vision-attainer (diṭṭhippatta). And at the highest stage, arhatship, one is called "liberated by wisdom" (paññā-vimutta).

For further details, refer to the Pali terms paramattha-sacca, paṭiccasamuppāda, khandha, ti-lakkhaṇa, nāma-rūpa, paṭisandhi.

Literature

• Anattā-lakkhaṇa Sutta, Vinaya I, 13-14; SN XXII, 59; translated in Three Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha (Wheel 17, Buddhist Publication Society).
• Another important text on anattā is the Discourse on the Snake Simile (Alagaddūpama Sutta, MN 22; translated in Wheel 48/49).
• Other relevant texts are also to be found in The Path of Purification.
• Further: Anattā and Nibbāna, by Ñāṇaponika Thera (Wheel 11); The Truth of Anattā, by Dr. G. P. Malalasekera (Wheel 94).
• And perhaps the best summary of all this information is found in the short book: The Three Basic Facts of Existence III: Egolessness (Wheel 202/204).