Self Realisation, atman, anatta

Let the spaciousness of Nature bring spaciousness to our mind.

Spiritual Practice : Chapter D

Self Realisation

atman, nirvana, anatta.

Table of Contents.

D 1. Introduction
D 2. ātman (atman) as Experienced in Deep Meditation.
D 3. ātman as the Higher Self.
D 4.   ātman as Spirit Soul.
D 5.   Bhagavad Gita verses on Immortality.

D 6.   Similar Buddhist Themes on nirvāṅa (nirvana)
D 7.   More Buddhist Suttas about nirvāṅa = nibbāna.
D 8.   Discussion.

D 9. anattā (anatta), What is Not Me, Not Mine.
D 9. anattā lakkhaṅa sutta, SN 22. 59.
D 10. Discussion of Anatta Lakkhana Sutta.
       D 10.   Etymology of saññā, viññāṇa and pra-jñāna.
D 11. Related Suttas.
D 12. “There is No Soul = ātman !”
D 13.   Dependent Origination of Pain and Suffering, paṭicca-samuppāda.
D 14. dukkha, anicca, anattā; pain, unreliability and not me/not mine.
D 15.   Further Reading on Anatta.

             References.
             Dictionaries and Glossaries Used
  History of Buddhist Scripture in This Alphabet and Language.
How do I Translate Sacred Verse?

Dear Reader.

This webpage is about the ātman, and how we can access it.
When we are in our higher self or ātman,
then our mind is stable, unhurried, content, and very happy to be like this.
So please do not be driven to rush thru this chapter,
anxious to “know” about the ātman.
Be compassionate. Allow your mind to be stable.
Take pause to reflect and absorb the Dharma.
Perhaps just one section is sufficient for any one reading.

Pronunciation. This webpage has numerous quotes from sacred verse, and correct pronunciation is important. So IAST superscripts and subscripts are used throughout, and these tell us correct pronunciation of the sacred language. My webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit” explains these superscripts and subscripts.

D 1. Introduction to Self Realisation.

The Goal of the spiritual Path is often described as “Self realisation”, and many Eastern gurus will describe themselves as “self realised” or even “fully self realised”. This is their qualification to teach. But what does “Self realisation” actually mean?

ātman and anattā
ātman is a Sanskrit word that is a central theme in Hinduism. anattā is a Pali word, and also a central theme in Buddhism. attā corresponds to ātman, in a sense they are the same word. They are often translated as “self”.

Exploring ātman involves exploring our True Nature, who or what we really are as human beings. In this, I mean building an identity that will help restore our peace and happiness, and avoid unnecessary problems for us in our daily lives. To do this, we need also to explore who or what we are not. We need to explore anattā which means “not me, not mine.” By this, I mean dismantling identities that only cause us troubles, and disturb and disrupt our contentment and enjoyment.

There are significant differences between Hindu views on ātman and Buddhist views on anattā. This can take people on diverging paths, so they cannot use material from the other religion. Alternatively, we can focus on the similarities, and embrace the diversity. Then themes on ātman and anattā can both make their own different contribution to the common understanding of spiritual Liberation. With a little adaption and selection.

Let’s first explore what ātman means in Hinduism.

ātman.

D 2. ātman as Experienced in Deep Meditation (ref 2).

Eknath Easwaran emigrated from India to USA as a professor of English, and he founded the Blue Mountains Center for Meditation in 1961 in Berkeley, California, a early pioneer of Eastern spirituality in the West. This Center still continues.   Eknath explains how the ancient sages or Rishis of India experienced ātman.

They explored our inner world of our mind, emotions, thoughts and quality of experience. These change perpetually, and our word “emotion” contains the word “motion”.   At different times, the same person seems to have different personalities.

So these sages asked the obvious question : “then where am I?” and “who am I?”

Rather than think, speculate and have opinions about this basic question, they trained themselves to go deep into meditation to find the answer. So deep that the samādhi is really an out-of-body experience. Where consciousness is utterly withdrawn from both mind and body. In this very deep samādhi, the sense of a separate ego dissolves. There is no longer a me and you, or us and them, or me and Nature out there. All sense of isolation from other people and loneliness has gone.   It is a unifying or unitive experience.   The consciousness in such deep samādhi is beyond time and change.

These Rishis called this highly refined consciousness ātman,   commonly translated as the Self. This word ātman appears in our songs as param-ātmā and in my selections from the Bhagavād Gita. (ātmā is the nominative form of the noun ātman.)

Deep samādhi is very healing, and quite transformative to our spiritual practice.   The result is called moksha and nirvāṅa. These are the Goals of the spiritual Path. What we are heading towards in spiritual practice.

The Rishis described ātman as being the same for all people. It is a unifying Quality that we all share. Eknath then quotes Ruysbroeck, a great mystical writer of medieval Europe :

“The image of God is found essentially and personally in all people. Each
person possesses it entire and undivided. In this way, we are all one, intimately united in our eternal image. This is the image of God and the Source of all in our life.”   Each word is carefully chosen.

However, it is not possible to stay in such deep samādhi for long. Very soon the multiplicity of life returns.   The unitive experience ends, and the duality of me and you, us and them, me and the outside world soon returns.

This is how “dualism” is presented by Eknath Easwarin.

D 3. ātman as the Higher Self.

Such a presentation of ātman can be fascinating, but we really need something less esoteric and more practical, less ethereal and more pragmatic. So ātman can also mean our higher self, as opposed to our lower self that I call “the ego.”

The higher self or ātman can be defined in terms of the spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga, and the defilements or kilesa. These are numerous and varied, and can be grouped to aid understanding and definition. They include thoughts, attitudes, values, feelings and daily habits. You are invited to add to the following lists.

The spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga :

Inner peace, - and stillness and silence, contentment, being at ease, feeling safe ...
Determination – and diligence, making effort, renewing efforts, persisting, motivation, competence and confidence, courage ...
Clarity – and wisdom, tactfulness, perceptiveness, insight, good decision making ...
Friendship – and finding and sharing good things, trust, forgiveness and tolerance, being supportive ...
Enjoyment – and appreciation, inspiration, reverence, wonderment, happiness ...
Healing – and nurturing, caring for, releasing the pain, resolving difficulties, transcendence from suffering
protecting - and guiding and guarding the mind, practising the spiritual Qualities, cultivating them,
good companionship - and good leadership, quality service, honesty, integrity, inspiring others, transparency in motives,

When these beautiful spiritual Qualities are active and influencing our heart, mind and therefore daily life, then we are in our higher self or ātman. Indeed, moving towards these Qualities, restoring and renewing them into daily life, and remembering to do this, in this moment : this is the heart of the spiritual Path.

For our Liberation, we need to recognize these Qualities, cultivate them, value them, speak well of them, encourage them, protect them, and remember to do these things. We do this wherever we can, whenever we can, however we can, as best we can, and we do this in the Now. This is essential to the Way of Being Liberated in our daily life.

These spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga are also the Factors of Enlightenment. bodhi means spiritual awakening or enlightenment. Thus the enlightened state is another term we can use to describe our higher self or ātman; these two words can be similes. I discuss nirvāṅa below.

The Factors of Enlightenment can be labelled with ordinary words and phrases. We know what they mean. This is most significant. We all know what the Qualities of Freedom are because we already have experienced them. The enlightened state is not so far away, after all.

The defilements or kilesa –

Fear of attack or ridicule, fear of loss or failure, embarrassment, feeling uncomfortable or unsafe or awkward or vulnerable
Friction, irritation, resentment, criticisms, back stabbing, hostility, suspicion, miserliness,
Guilt, shame, feeling excluded or disempowered or useless or
Feeling hurt or disappointed or betrayed or cheated
Arrogance, manipulation, exploitation, blackmail, corruption
Malice, destructiveness, hate, vindictiveness, revenge, violence,
Grief, sense of loss, broken heart, yearning,
Exhaustion, apathy, despair, loss of purpose, dullness, impotence, hopelessness, laziness, boredom
Stupidity, ignorance, confusion, blind to the problem, delusion,
Disrespect, dishonesty, surliness, no appreciation, untrustworthy,
Indiscipline, indulgence, comfort eating, addictions and addictive behaviour,
Anger, rage, wanting to fight and destroy the restrictions,
Agitation, haste, can’t rest or sleep, compulsive thinking, impatience, feeling disturbed or frustrated.
Lust, greed, jealousy

When these defilements are largely dormant and not troubling us, then we are in our higher state or ātman.

The defilements are numerous and varied, but they all have the same flavour : suffering or dukkha. They are the problem and burden in our lives. Learning how to transcend the defilements, and restore the spiritual Qualities into their place, is foundational to the spiritual Path.   Everything depends on such transcendence from pain. This is much easier said than done, because of the deluding power of defilements. What is worse, they seem to have a will of their own, and seem determined to invade our mind and hijack our will. Much of this website explores themes that can help us in this important endeavour. It is the primary theme in the first chapter of this treatise on spiritual practice; the Introduction. The theme of anattā, discussed later in this chapter, is most relevant to this endeavour.

D 4.   ātman as Spirit Soul, ref 4.

Three prominent Hindu sects in Australia, the Hare Krishna sect, the Mantra Room also called the Australian School of Yoga and Meditation, and Brahma Kumaris, describe the ātman somewhat differently, as the spirit soul.

One starting point is to consider who we really are, in essence. Are we really this body, that is slowly but inevitably declining with age, and has a limited life span? Or this mind, that can be so changeful?

More importantly, are we really all those pain driven and pain filled thoughts that assail us, when we are upset? That drive us to be quite destructive to important pursuits and relationships?   We really need something more reliable, stable and wholesome to identify with.

Perhaps our true Nature, in essence, is spiritual, and not really the physical body nor thoughts.

There is an excellent talk by Gayatri, the founder and manager of the Mantra Room in Westend of Brisbane, that explores this topic well. She starts by considering who we really are, in essence, and provides some helpful quotes from the Upanishads -

“I am a ‘life particle’, an ātman (spirit). I, the ātman, am an effulgent, dazzling infinitesimal ray of transcendental light, emanating from the Original Cause (note 1). Just as an individual ray of sunshine emanates from the sun globe. I am not the physical body, nor the mind. Rather, body and mind are like garments that I, the ātman,   am temporarily wearing”. From Mundaka Upanishad.

The spiritual Being can be described as being encased in two ‘bodies’. First the ‘subtle material body’ which is the mind. Over that is the ‘gross physical body’, made of earth, air, fire and water (the solid, the spacious, and the fluid, and temperature). Mind is made of ‘false intelligence’ and ego. Mind is like an undergarment, body is the like outer garments.

“The ‘life particle’ or ātman is atomic in size. It can be perceived by ‘perfect intelligence’ (note 1). This ātman is located in the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body and throughout the living Being.” From the Mundaka Upanishad.

The person, the ātman, the spirit soul :   this is called “the Self” in Hinduism. It spreads it life giving influence all thru our Being, thru a vast network of nadis or ‘subtle nerve channels.’ This influence makes our body completely conscious.

“As innumerable sparks emanate from a fire, similarly all individual spirit souls or ātman with their particular characteristics emanate from the Original Cause.” From the Brihada-ranyaka Upanishad.

“The ātman is part of the Original Cause (note 1), just as an individual ray of sunshine is part of the sun.” (Text not cited)

Thus the Original Cause is like the sun globe. We are not the sun globe. We are part of the Sun’s radiance.

The following quote is traditionally used as a meditative reflection, to help us to bring stillness and silence into this moment.

“ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am spirit not matter. I am not the body, nor the mind, I am the spirit Soul. This is an eternal part of the Supreme Soul (note 1). I am only temporarily in the physical body. The body is temporary, but I am eternal. ahaṁ brahmāsmi (ahaṁ = I am, brahman = spirit, -asmi = I am)

Gayatri then explains – “When our heart and mind are purified thru the cultivation of spiritual wisdom, then we realise and understand that we are the ātman, that is present in this body. Without the Presence of the ātman, the body cannot be alive. Consciousness is actually the ‘symptom’ of the Presence of the ātman.

The spirit soul is the attraction or attractiveness of a person. Without it, the body is entirely unattractive.”

(Note 1. The ‘Original Cause’ might refer to Brahma, and ‘perfect intelligence’ might refer to prajñāna, which I cite in my discussion of the Heart Sutra. The ‘Supreme Soul’ might refer to param-ātma, that appears in several of our Kirtan songs.

Note 2. I have underlined several key words from Gayatri’s talk that occur elsewhere in my discussions of mantra and spiritual practice.)

D 5.   Bhagavad Gita verses on Immortality, ref 5.
The Bhagavad Gita gives further description of our spiritual essence, of the Source of our spiritual Qualities.   This is the first topic on spiritual practice that the Gita discusses. It begins thus -

“Know that our entire Being can be pervaded by the imperishable (avināśi), which does not deteriorate (avyaya), is reliable (nitya) and incomprehensible to the ego (aprameya).” (BG 2. 17 - 18).   (In BG 2. 17 – 18, these three Qualities of the imperishable are in the genitive case : avyay-asya, nity-asya, apramey-asya. This means that these three Qualities belong to the imperishable (avināśi).)

BG 2. 20 to 28 talk about -

the unborn and undying; the ageless, (2. 20)
not being damaged by weapons, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor dried by wind (2. 23).
the eternal, unalterable, immutable and primordial (2.24)
the unmanifested, inconceivable, unchangeable (2.25)

These verses actually say “this is the unborn …, this is not damaged by weapons …, this is the eternal …, this is the unmanifested …” The Gita uses the words enaṁ, āyaṁ = “this is”. The imperishable is not named, it remains un-named in sacred verse. For the meaning of words are limited, yet the Gita is talking about something un-limited.

BG 2. 28 clarifies the expression “unmanifested and inconceivable” thus -

a-vyakta                   ādīni                   bhūtāni,
un-manifest       before arising        in people
not evident

vyakta               madhyāni,      a-vyakta         nidhanāni.
manifested        during,         un-manifest     when defeated.
                                                                              (BG 2. 28)
Un-manifested and inconceivable in us before consciousness is renewed, manifest and evident while consciousness continues, and un-manifest and un-noticed again when we are defeated by defilement (BG 2. 28). It can come (gataḥ) to all of us (sarva), we can all (sarva) attain (gataḥ) it. (BG 2. 24)

na       satas            vidyate          bhāvas          abhāvas (BG 2. 16)
not      true, real       is                     arises             passes away
            spiritual
That which arises and passes away (ie the perishable) is not really our True Nature, not our spiritual essence (BG 2. 16).

dṛiṣhṭaḥ                               tattva                        darśhibhiḥ
investigate this (with)      truth (&)       wisdom   (BG 2. 16)

Just as worn-out garments are shed, and the person accepts new ones, so also are bodies cast off when worn out, and the soul (dehin) enters a new body (BG 2. 22). The soul (dehin = dehī) is eternal and resides in the body (dehe = deha) of every-one (BG 2. 30)

nirvāṅa.

D 6.   Similar Buddhist Themes on nirvāṅa.

The Buddha describes nirvāṇa in similar terms.   udāna means “Exhalted Utterances”, and in udāna 8.3, (ref 6a) the Buddha talks about the unborn, the non-arisen, the uncreated, the unconditioned. This is described as an escape from the born, the arisen, the created and the conditioned.

In itivuttaka 43 the Buddha also talks about the born, the created, the impermanent, the perishing, and that which arises from destabilising urges. (ref 6b). Unnecessary and unhelpful thoughts and attitudes are indeed born and created. When we learn how to let go of them, then we realise they are in fact impermanent, and perishing. And suffering. They arise from attachment to defilement.

So the Buddha advises us to move away from these, and instead head toward the calming, the permanent, the unborn, the sorrowless, the undefiled, the stilling, in itivuttaka 43.

Thus nirvāṇa   is not really something that we create. Rather, it is something we are heading towards when we are both practiced and practising. As a Goal in spiritual practice. And unfortunately, too much of our time is mis-spent by moving in the opposite direction, due the influence of defilements.

In spiritual practice, we make effort, guided by the wisdom of our experience, to create the very conditions needed so we can move towards nirvāṇa . Thus our progress towards nirvāṇa   does depend on conditions, it is conditioned. It arises from our efforts. Our progress is very much created by our efforts and wisdom.

But the Goal itself is independent, and unconditioned. It does not arise just because we are currently practising and practised. It always has been there, and always will be. When we can perceive the enlightened state as eternal, then we know it is always available to us. Calling out to us. It hasn’t been destroyed, just because we have fallen into a little (or not so little) slump. Yet again.

Note that the Buddha does not say “nirvāṇa   is unborn, not brought into being, uncreated, and unconditioned”.   When the mind is quite still, focussed, clear and bright, and we are very happy to be like this, then nirvāṇa   is something we are experiencing in this moment. At these times, it can be better to leave things un-named.   For the meaning of words and names can be limited, and the Buddha was talking about something far beyond the limitations of normal mundane living. More importantly, we can rely on the ego to have all sorts of opinions about nirvāṇa , yet the ego has no comprehension of nirvāṇa . In udāna 8. 3 (ref 6a) the Buddha just says –

bhikkhave!              atthi
Listen disciples!      There is, this is

ajātaṁ,   abhūtaṁ,   akataṁ,   asaṅkhataṁ.
unborn, non-arisen, unmade, unconditioned

Indeed, we don’t really know what the Buddha is talking about, in udāna 8. 3, until we read the title of this discourse. It is called tatiya-nibbāna-suttaṁ =   the third discourse or Sutta about nibbāna = nirvāṇa . Indeed, the Hindu theme of the Unmanifested, in Bhagavad Gita 2. 28, applies perfectly to nirvāṇa . nirvāṇa   is unmanifest until we awaken to spiritual Truth. It will also return to being unmanifest when we fall asleep again. nirvāṇa   is unmanifest to the ego, and we rely on the ego in normal social interactions.

The advanced Dharma of udāna 8. 3 is not easily understood. In fact, if conditions are not conducive, it is more likely to be misunderstood. For udāna 8. 1 – 4, the Buddha’s disciples were attentive and receptive, with minds focussed on the Dharma.

D 7.   More Buddhist Suttas about nirvāṇa = nibbāna.

“Liberation (anattā) is difficult to understand, for the Truth is difficult to understand,” (udāna 8. 2, line 1, ref 4)

paṭividdhā = paṭivedha   jānato           passati
with penetrating                know and     see
comprehension                  experience

taṇhā                                     atthi               kiñcanan
destabilising (in which)   there is          something
urges                                                              that defiles

“Know and experience, with penetrating comprehension, destabilising urges that have defilement, and see this process.” (udāna 8. 2, line 2, ref 6a)

saññā               yathā-bhūtaṃ     pa-jānana                ti
perception      really, definite      know with wisdom

Have definite perception and really know with wisdom what will -

cause deterioration (hāna bhāgiyā)
cause stabilisation (ṭhiti bhāgiyā)
cause advancement (visesa bhāgiyā)
cause penetrating insight (nibbedha bhāgiyā)

When we are located in this Dharma (dhamme), and really understand it (diṭṭh-eva), it will help take us towards nirvāṇa (pari-nibbāyan-āya) (from Anguttara Nikaya, 4. 4. 3. 9. ref 7b)

The following Theravadan Buddhist scriptures give more description of nibbāna = nirvāṇa …

“Listen, disciples! There is the space and place (āyatana) that is ….

without earth, air, fire and water, ie beyond the material or physical world and its physical qualities of solidity, fluidity, emptiness and temperature.
beyond the refined levels of samādhi or deep absorption into meditation,
without sun or moon, ie beyond the illumination of the physical world
without arising and passing away, ie beyond the impermanent.
without “coming, going and stopping”, ie beyond the movement of the physical world, and
needing no support (appatiṭṭhaṁ)

This is simply the end of suffering.” (udāna 8. 1, ref 4)

“That which needs support can be disturbed, but that which needs no support is stable. When there is no disturbance, there is serenity. When there is serenity there is no destabilising urges (nati = unswayed). When there is no destabilising urges, there is stillness and stability (na āgati gati, na cutupapāto) which is neither here nor there; ie we are in the Now”.

“This is simply the end of suffering.” (udāna 8. 4, ref 6a)

“nibbindaṃ             virāgā            sam-bojjhaṅge            vimuttiyā”.
disenchanted,         free of           located in perfect        experience
not lured                   defilement    spiritual Qualities         Liberation

“Be disenchanted, not allured and free of defilement, and be perfectly located in the spiritual Qualities, and so experience Liberation.   Know there is Liberation, know this with wisdom.” (ie support and protect the spiritual Qualities)

“khīṇā           jāti,             vusitaṃ        brahma-cariyaṃ      kataṃ.”
ceased is       rebirth,     dwelled in     spiritual practice    performed
“Know that rebirth of troubles is ceased for Now, because spiritual practice is being dwelled in and performed.”

“karaṇīyaṃ,     na āparaṃ         itthatte.                     pa-jānāti”
needs doing      no more        in this moment               know with
                                                                                                wisdom
“No more busy-ness needs doing in this moment” – know this.” (ie do not waste the healing opportunity with mundane matters.)
                         (conclusion of Samyutta Nikaya 22. 59, adapted from ref 9).

“Ensnared in defilements, one aims at the ruin of oneself, and the ruin of others. But when defilements are renounced, one is no longer aimed at ruin. Moving freely in the spiritual Qualities from long practise, nibbāna is attractive, visible and comprehensible to the wise. It is in this moment. ”    (aṅguttara nikāya, 3. 55)   “The cessation of defilement, the strength of spiritual Qualities – this is nibbāna.” (saṃyutta nikāya 3. 38) (ref 7a)

“And for the practitioner thus freed, their heart dwells in joy and peace that needs nothing added to it. Just as a solid rock, unshaken by the wind, so also is this one unshaken by defilement. Steadfast is their heart and mind, gained is deliverance.” (aṅguttara nikāya, 6. 51) (ref 7a)

D 8.   Discussion of Verses About nirvāṇa = nibbāna.

Anguttara Nikaya 4. 4. 3. 9. is about saññā (pronounced sang-nya).    saññā is our ability to perceive and discern what will help us let go of defilement, and develop the spiritual Qualities.   And what will have the opposite effect.   Such clear perception is often lacking, so Anguttara Nikaya 4. 4. 3. 9. talks about knowing this Dharma with wisdom, with certainty. As it really operates.   saññā = saṃjñā = saṃ-jñananā. jñananā = knowing, saṃ = level, stable, perfected (General Refs).

For Anguttara Nikaya 4. 4. 3. 9, I have written “really know with wisdom what will cause deterioration, cause stabilisation, cause advancement, cause penetrating insight”. The Buddha uses the word bhāgiya. bhāgiya does not mean “definitely cause”, but rather “could cause”, “might cause”, or “might not cause.”    Those influences might not cause deterioration or advancement, depending on how we respond to them. (bhāga = partly, not fully.)

In udāna 8. 1 the Buddha is talking about āyatana which means “space or place”. This is an experience that we can visit when our mind is clear, bright, present, not wandering, and very happy to be like this. It is pure consciousness. The Buddha suggests that this experience need not be a short lived experience, but rather something long and extended.

  āyatana comes from the root word āyata = outstretched, extended, long.

The Buddha describes this āyatana as being beyond the physical world, in udāna 8. 1.    It is essentially spiritual, not worldly. It does not depend upon worldly conditions, for it is immortal or eternal. In udāna 8. 1 and 8. 4, the Buddha describes this āyatana as being “without support, or independent (appatiṭṭhaṁ)”, and describes the stability, serenity and stillness of this āyatana.

Note the words the Buddha uses to describe the stillness and stability of this āyatana : na āgati gati = no coming and going, na cutupapāto = no heedless wandering = saṃsāra. This refers to the stability of mind in this āyatana. When we make and take opportunity to rest from the busy-ness of our daily lives, and access the refreshing and rejuvenating stillness and silence of meditation. When we remain in the Now, with our present experience. No longer wandering in the past and future.

Note the words the Buddha uses to describe the destabilising urges that pull us out of this āyatana …

nati (udāna 8. 4) which literally means “bending”, ie being pulled out of our peace of mind.
taṅhā (udāna 8. 2) literally means “thirst” or a compelling desire

In Samyutta Nikaya 22. 59, note the use of the word pa-jānāti = pañña + jānāti, where jānāti = know; pañña = wisdom. The Buddha advises us to know when we are Liberated, and know the causes : dwelling in and performing spiritual practice = brahma cariya, which literally means conduct guided by Deity (Brahma). And use wisdom : these valuable spiritual Qualities need support and protection.

Note the different words the Buddha uses to describe Liberation ….

nibbāna (AN 4. 179, AN 3. 55, SN 3. 38) literally means “extinguished”. In nibbāna, the fires of suffering have gone out because we have removed the heat and or fuel source, consciously and purposefully. Thanissaro translates nibbāna as “unbinding”.
āyatana (udāna 8. 1) is discussed above.
anattā (udāna 8. 2) which literally means “not me, not mine” (attā = ātman). This is best understood as a question : are these destabilising urges really me, really mine? What happens when I identify with them, and fuel and energise them? What really is my True Nature, that will bring me the peace, enjoyment and appreciation that is so healing?

anattā.

D 9.   anattā, What is Not Me, Not Mine.

“anattā is difficult to understand, for the Truth is difficult to understand,” (udāna 8. 2, line 1).

anattā is not really Liberation. anattā   is part of the Path to Liberation, and an important part of it. anattā and nirvāṇa   are not similes.

anattā means “not me, not mine”. anattā means what we need to let go of, so we can start moving towards the beauty, stability, enjoyment, appreciation and healing power of the Unconditioned, the Imperishable.   This refers primarily to unhelpful and unnecessary thoughts that proliferate in our mind, invade it, and cause us so much pain. So Buddha advises us to (try to) perceive such unhelpful-ness as anattā, as not me, not mine.

This is far easier said than done, for there can be considerable attachment to thoughts, views, beliefs and attitudes, far more than we normally realise. What is worse, this attachment can be extremely difficult to perceive and let go of. Yet it is most important to let go of such mental conceptions (saṅkhāra), and to be able to let of saṅkhāra, to approach spiritual Liberation. Much regular training is needed in meditation to achieve this, and people usually have other priorities in their lives.

Because of these difficulties, there can be a tendency among ardent converts to Buddhism (or Hinduism) to take anattā as a prescribed belief and doctrine. As something to be attached to and create an identity for the ego. To assert a view that is irreconcilable with the other religion, over the central theme of ātman.   Perhaps this might “prove” that one is a real Buddhist or Hindu (whatever that may be).

This is reflected in the traditional presentation of the anattā lakkhaṅa sutta, encoded saṃyutta nikāya 22. 59. The tactic used in this Sutta is like this. They present the material as a question, then repeat it as a statement of fact. Indeed, they begin the Sutta with a statement of fact : “The body is not self = anattā.” Then they cite some unexplained aspect of Hindu doctrine, then repeat the statement of fact. To refute the Hindu position. The older monks want power and position, and they want the young monks to accept this material as unquestionable doctrine.

Yet Buddha presented this Sutta to help us transcend the attachment to such mental noise.   It was one of the first topics he talked about, after his enlightenment experience. lakkhaṅa means “characteristics or properties of”, and Buddha wanted to draw attention to this matter.

To help us re-access Buddha’s original intention, we can re-present the same material in the form of questions only.
Then we can ask these questions into the privacy of our mind, to cultivate quiet reflection. Hopefully, this will allow us to see thru the problems that beset us in our lives. Then we will be able to drop these burdens,   and access the healing stillness and silence of the unburdened mind. And access the beauty of nirvāṇa.

Then we can view the purpose of numerous repetitions quite differently. For us, they can be no more than a memory aid in oral tradition, and to repeat an important point to make emphasis.

If we can go into the original Pali, then it is so much easier to re-present and re-interpret Buddha’s teaching in this spirit of enquiry. Because this Sutta is so significant, both in the religion and philosophy, one determined Buddhist laboured at length to give a word-for-word translation, with info bubbles on nearly every pāḷi word. Published anonymously on –
http://www.buddha-vacana.org/sutta/samyutta/khandha/sn22-059.html

D 9. The Anatta Lakkhana Sutta, Saṃyutta Nikaya 22. 59, ref 9.

This Sutta uses the traditional Buddhist classification of body and mind into five categories or khandas :

rūpa, vedanā,  saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāṇa (See General Refs)
body, feeling, perception, conception, consciousness

When vedanā or feelings are a problem, they are the feeling of the defilement, be it feeling disappointed, feeling badly judged, feeling betrayed, feeling anxious or depressed. How the defilement actually feels, as opposed to pain filled and pain driven thoughts.

When saṅkhāra or conceptions are a problem, they are the thoughts, attitudes, judgements, opinions, and intentions that proliferate when defilements invade our mind and hijack our will.

saññā (perception) and viññāṇa (consciousness) are inter-related terms. They are our ability to be aware of, perceive and recognise defilements, and know that they are indeed causing trouble. In a sense, saṅkhāra is the do-er, and saññā and viññāṇa are the know-er. More on these after the discourse.

Note the first word of the discourse : bhikkhave, which is the vocative form of the noun bhikkhu = disciple. The disciples are being spoken to. This kind of advanced Dharma is for those who are devoted to the discipline of spiritual practice, seeking spiritual Liberation, and dedicated to regular meditation training. The Buddha starts the Sutta with five questions -

The body (rūpaṃ), is it attā = ātman = the eternal soul?
Is there something in the body that will receive instructions from me to be thus? Or to not be thus ?
Is the body impermanent and changeful (anicca) ?
Can its unreliability be painful (dukkha) ?
That which is painful (dukkha) and deteriorating (vipariṇāma) in nature, is it well and sound to clearly perceive (sam-anupassituṃ) : ‘this is mine, I am this (this is my true nature °*), this is my higher self (attā = ātman) ?’

He repeats these five questions for the other four khanda of mind, thus -

The mind; is it my higher self (attā = ātman), when it heads towards problems (ābādhāya) and is used by (saṃvattati) pain and problems?
When led (saṃvattati) into trouble (ābādhe), is the mind receiving instructions from me to be like this? Or to not be like this ?
Is the mind always reliable (anicca) ?
Can its unreliability be painful (dukkha) ?
That which is painful (dukkha) and deteriorating (vipariṇāma) in nature, is it well and sound to clearly perceive (sam-anupassituṃ) : ‘this is mine, I am this (this is my true nature °*), this is my higher self (attā = ātman) ?’

Our perception (saññā) and our consciousness (viññāṇa) are essential for our spiritual advancement, but unfortunately they are not always reliable. Far too often our saññā and viññāṇa are far from being samma diṭṭhi = perfection in view, perfection in understanding. In his first sermon, the Buddha lists samma diṭṭhi as the first factor in the Way to spiritual Liberation, the first factor in the Way to be free (the Fourth Noble Truth, SN 56. 11).

In addition, our feelings (vedanā) and our thoughts (sankhāra) are very changeful. They can become quite upset at times, and so become emotions or disturbances. Are they really our higher self or ātman = attā ?

These can be skilful reflections to help build some objectivity towards mind and body, especially when they have deteriorated, and help us let go of what we need to let go of.   The Buddha recommends us to –

evam·etaṃ yathā·bhūtaṃ samma paññāya daṭṭhabbaṃ.
them      according to their true nature best wisdom see, perceive.

See and perceive them (ie body and mind) according to their true nature, according to our best wisdom. By “perceive their true nature” I mean a perception of body and mind that will help us move towards spiritual Liberation.

Buddha repeats this important phrase five times, for each of the five khandas. In a sense, he is saying “I offer this for your wise reflection.”

I discuss the last paragraph of this Sutta above, in section D7 : “More Buddhist Suttas about nirvāṇa = nibbāna.”

Translational Notes.

for Q 1.
The paragraph begins in a didactic tone : “Rūpaṃ, bhikkhave, anattā.” This can be re-presented in the spirit of enquiry thus : “rūpaṃ : attā ?”   This paragraph ends with Q 2, thus -

for Q 2.
labbhati rūpe me hotu mā ahosī
will receive in body     from me      be thus    not be thus

Is there something in the body that will receive instructions from me to be thus or not be thus?

Q 3, 4 & 5     These are in the same section, starting with “Taṃ kiṃ maññatha, …” = “ What do you think of this, …”

Q 5   includes the expression “eso aham asmi,” = “I am this” = “This is my true nature”. This can be compared to the mantra in section D 4 :

ahaṁ brahm-āsmi (ahaṁ = I am, brahman = spirit, -asmi = I am = my true nature)

D 10. Discussion of Anatta Lakkhana Sutta.

These five repetitions of the five questions about body and mind is intended to help the mind let go of busy-ness and head towards the refreshing and clarifying stillness of the Silent Mind. As a kind of meditation.

Of the five khanda, sankhāra   is the target for this meditation technique. When sankhāra is a problem, it can mean : mental busy-ness, where the mind creates more thought, has intention to make noise, and the next thought arises from the preceding ones, in an endless and heedless thought train (ref 15). This is a good way of describing saṃsāra, the opposite to nirvāṇa . Yet sankhāra also means anything conceived or formed in the mind, especially conceptions that have an inevitable consequence. The Sanskrit equivalent is samskāra. So sankhāra includes thoughts, views, beliefs, attitudes, values.   sankhāra precedes all speech and action, proceeds throughout them, and all speech and action needs sankhāra. Thus sankhāra can also mean “mental conceptions or formations” and “intention”, and “thoughts” and “views”.

One meditation technique for transforming sankhāra from problem to solution is to focus on everything that we need and rely on in our worldly busy-ness.   Such as the five khanda. And for each, to reflect that spiritual Liberation is beyond all these. Not to negate their importance in daily life, but to remind us of something beyond these mundane matters.

So it’s important to not misunderstand these questions.

Q 2. “Is there something in the body or mind that will receive instructions from me to be thus? Or to not be thus ?”

The body and mind can be trained, if the training is consistent, regular and sustainable. Indeed, such training is essential to the spiritual Path, and part of daily life.

But without such training, can we rely on the body and mind to obey our will? When we are quite honest with ourselves about the limitations of the untrained body and untrained mind?

Q 5 : That which is painful (dukkha) and deteriorating (vipariṇāma) in nature, is it well and sound to clearly perceive (sam-anupassituṃ) : ‘this is mine, I am this,   this is my eternal soul (attā = ātman)?

This can easily be misunderstood to mean : “The body is not mine.” For this would conform with traditional Buddhist doctrine. Let us examine these prescribed beliefs …

The usual motivation for taking good care of our body is that it is ours, and we have no other for this life. Neglecting our body, in rest, eating, food, exercise and daily work tasks, will cause all sorts of problems for us sooner or later.   And the same applies also to the mind.

In addition, there is an excellent meditation technique called : “inhabiting the body”. In this, we focus our attention on the movement and touch of the body, and the sounds and image the body provides to us. As a tactic to shift attention from thinking to sensing, and so stabilise and quieten the mind.    So the body is an first class dwelling place for us …

Question 5 can also be misunderstood to mean “saññā and viññāṇa are not me, perception and consciousness are not me.”   Hinduism advises us to identify with pure consciousness (pra-jñāna), as our higher self or ātman, in the third chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad. This is because we rely on and need pure consciousness to be aware of defilements, and perceive their insidious nature to invade our mind and hijack our will.

So Question 5 can be abbreviated and given some accompaniment, thus :

“Why identify with the painful (dukkha) and the deteriorating (vipariṇāma) ?”
“Why not identify with saññā and viññāṇa, identify with perception and consciousness, when they are functional and working?”

When saṃ-jñānana, vi-jñāna and pra-jñāna are functional and effective, then it will be so much easier for us to take good care of our body, and mind.

D 10.   Etymology of saññā, viññāṇa and pra-jñāna, ref 15.

saññā is also spelled saṃ-jñānana, viññāṇa is also spelled vi-jñāna. The j in jñānana and jñāna is almost silent, and often omitted in the spelling. ṅ = ṇ = ṃ = ng as in English sing, sung, except the tongue is retroflex, is pointed to mid palette instead of the teeth. ñ = ny as in canyon.

jñānana and jñāna both mean “know, recognise”. In this context, vi- can mean “separate from”. So vi-jñāna is our ability to observe and know the thoughts passing thru our mind with some objectivity towards them. saṃ- can mean “properly, perfectly, without disturbance”.   So saṃ-jñānana is our ability to properly know the thoughts passing thru our mind, and be undisturbed by them. So vi-jñāna and saṃ-jñānana have overlapping and related meanings : perception and consciousness.

The Anatta Lakkhana Sutta emphasises that both saṃ-jñānana and vi-jñāna are conditioned, and can be quite shaky or even absent at times. It all depends on where we are at, in this moment. So we can use another word pra-jñāna which can mean “pure consciousness”.

pra- can mean “before” or “priority”. So the word pra-jñāna suggests that pure consciousness is a priority for our spiritual practice. It pre-cedes everything in spiritual practice. pra- can also mean “continue”. This suggests that spiritual practice will succeed for as long as pure consciousness continues. Pure consciousness pro-cedes throughout successful practice.

D 11.   Related Suttas, ref 11.

Buddhist Suttas have far more to say about the approach to nibbāna than nibbāna itself.   One example of this is in saṃyutta nikāya 46. 11 and 46. 1

“The cultivation of the Factors of Enlightenment or spiritual Qualities (bodhyaṅga) depends on virtue. Such virtue includes :   meditation in seclusion, emotional stability, letting go of defilements, and cessation of defilement. Just as sitting, walking, standing and lying down depend on the Earth, and are established on the Earth.”

D 12. “There is No Soul = ātman !”

“an-attā is difficult to understand, for the Truth is difficult to understand,” (udāna 8. 2, line 1).   And so the belief has taken root in Buddhism, that the self and soul = ātman = attā   do not exist. This religious belief is especially strong among ardent Western converts, including those who translated the Buddhist scriptures from Pali into English and German.

Such beliefs make it impossible for Buddhists to find common ground in central themes about God, soul and the higher self, with the vast majority of Wsterners who are inclined towards religion. They greatly complicate any communication and co-operation in spiritual practice. Divisions like these only aggravate the isolation and alienation from community in the modern Western world. They probably add to the problems of our times.

So Buddha advises us to avoid opposing beliefs such as : “The Self and Soul (ātman = attā) do exist” or “The Self and Soul do not exist” (Majjhima Nikaya 2, section on vision, ref 12a)

On one occasion, the Buddha was asked (by Vacchagotta) : “Does the ātman = attā or eternal Soul exist or not?” The Buddha remained silent and later explained. If he had answered “Yes”, this might encourage the first belief, and if he had answered “No”, this might encourage the second belief. He then asks -

“Would this help the arising of true knowledge (jñāna) about anattā ?” (Samyutta Nikaya 44. 10, ref 12b)

Getting busy with conflicting beliefs about soul and self will only distract us from the essence of the Dharma. Instead we can investigate our experience in our spiritual practice. What can we do to prevent feelings (vedanā) and thoughts (saṅkhāra) from getting out of hand, and degenerating into real emotional disturbances? Just ignoring the problem will only make things worse. So Buddha advises to avoid a belief such as :

“I am my eternal Soul, and therefore I am unchanging, stable, without ups and downs.” (Majjhima Nikaya 2, section on vision, ref 12a).

D 13.   Dependent Origination of Pain and Suffering = paṭicca-samuppāda, ref 13.

Quite often people are blessed with a life of good health with economic, social, and environmental conditions that provide the essentials, and a life not invaded by war. Especially these days in the protected and privileged West.   Yet life can be spoiled by much unhappiness and suffering caused by the untrained mind. This can degenerate into real problems like alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, psychiatric dis-ease or suicidal tendencies. With severe lows, where everything in their life seems to be suffering.

Buddha describes such intense pain as : dukkha khandhassa =   “the whole mass of suffering”. dukkha khandh-assa literally means : “our whole mind and body (khand-) is possessed by (-assa) suffering (dukkha)”.

Buddha explores the origins of such severe pain and how it arises (samudayo), in his paṭicca-samuppāda which means “dependent arising of pain and suffering”. This is a foundational theme in Buddhist philosophy, and is most prominent.

All of this is recorded in paragraph 3 of the paṭicca-samuppāda-suttaṃ (ref 12). It opens with : katamo ca bhikkhave, paṭicca-samuppādo? = Listen, disciples! (bhikkhave) “What is dependent origination (arising) of pain and suffering?” Then the Buddha sets out a sequence of events or factors. Each factor causes the next, in a chain of events that finally leads to the “whole mass of suffering (dukkha-khandh-assa)”. There are many events in this sequence, including -

avijjā na viññāṇa = ignorance and lack of consciousness
sankhārā = proliferating thought
upādāna = attachment
saṃsāra = heedless wandering
phassa vedanā = impact on feelings
kamma = speech & actions
bhava = arising of pain
jāti = rebirth of troubles
jarā maraṇa = deterioration & termination

In our Sutta, each event in this sequence is separated from the previous event with the word : paccayā, which literally means “arises from the influencing cause of”. Starting with the first two factors (and rearranging syntax) we get -

saṅkhārā                              paccayā                    avijjā
unhelpful thoughts            are caused by          ignorance.
Unhelpful thoughts ‘arise from the influencing cause of’ ignorance.
Unhelpful thoughts depend upon, originate from, and arise from ignorance.

And this is repeated for all the other factors in the sequence.

This chain of events makes much more sense when the word saṃsāra = heedless wandering is added at the appropriate place, and the sequence and wording slightly adjusted. Let us explore this theme, which is rarely presented in a lucid manner.

The problem starts with ignorance (avijjā), and a regrettable lack of consciousness (na viññāṇa). All too often, we ignore the process of getting upset. Perhaps we are distracted, otherwise preoccupied, or our mind is clouded with defilement and other intoxicants. And ignorance and lack of consciousness has been allowed to persist for far too long. Thus unhelpful thoughts, attitudes, judgement and intentions proliferate (sankhārā) in our unguarded and unguided mind. Because of the regrettable lack of consciousness (na viññāṇa) and ignorance (avijjā), there can be considerable attachment (upādāna) to the proliferating thoughts (sankhāra), and so the mind is allowed to wander far and heedlessly (saṃsāra). Such heedless wandering (saṃsāra) inevitably wanders into pain.   This pain impacts (phassa) onto our feelings (vedanā).

The combination of painful feelings (vedanā) and painful thoughts (sankhārā), ignorance (avijjā) and lack of consciousness (na viññāṇa), attachment (upādāna) to thoughts, judgement, opinions, and heedless wandering (saṃsāra) : all these conspire together, and we are at real risk of committing pain driven speech and action (kamma).

When pain drives our thoughts, speech and action (kamma), it only creates more pain to arise (bhava). This is vicious cycle of pain giving rise (bhava) to more pain, in a blazing inferno of suffering that simply consumes what little viññāṇa might still persist.

In such intense pain and lack of consciousness, we will be reborn (jāti) into the same old problems all over again. Then many healthy and wholesome relationships and pursuits in life will deteriorate (jarā) and possibly die (maraṇa).

Thus arises the “whole mass of suffering” (dukkha khandhassa), of a life ruined by the untrained mind.

The first weak point in this chain of events is ignorance or avijjā = a-vidyā, where vidyā means “knowing”. It’s like our word “vision”.   It is most important that we wake up (bodhi) to this process, and nip the problem in the bud. Stop ignoring the problem. Know what is going on in our poor disturbed mind, and see it.

Lack of consciousness (na viññāṇa) goes with ignorance. At the minimal level, consciousness (viññāṇa) means being aware of the basic laws of society, which forbid violence and dishonesty, and how to behave to develop and protect friendship. And awareness (viññāṇa) of the laws of the land, and the fines for breaking them. Thus viññāṇa (consciousness) includes restraint in speech and action, when we are upset, we are vulnerable to harmful addictive urges. viññāṇa means awareness of the need for restraint, and the ability to practise restraint.   viññāṇa = vi-jñāna means to know (jñāna*) how to be separate from (vi- ), know how to let go, know how to refrain from.

As viññāṇa (consciousness) further develops, it includes restraint in making decisions when we are upset. At a yet higher level, viññāṇa means to restrain the mind from heedless wandering in saṃsāra, knowing about the dark paths where suffering lurks in ambush.

The other weak point in this chain of events is attachment (upādāna).   There can be considerable attachment (upādāna) to thoughts, attitudes, and opinions (sankhāra), far more than we normally realise. This attachment to thoughts causes the mind to proliferate thoughts, and wander heedlessly in thinking (saṃsāra). It also prevents us from letting go of painfilled and pain driven thoughts, intentions and judgments (sankhāra)

So it is most important to train the mind to let go of thoughts. This is a primary objective in meditation for Buddha’s enlightenment.

Thus Buddha advises us to –

be aware of both ignorance (avijjā) and attachment (upādāna) and
cultivate and protect our consciousness (viññāṇa).
be aware of the causes and reasons for our suffering, and
make effort to create conditions that will take us to spiritual Liberation, to nirvāṇa instead.
Instead of just blaming adverse conditions, unreliable equipment and other people for our troubles.

This will make life so much easier for us.

Translational Notes for section D 13.
* The j of jñāna is almost silent, and often omitted in publication. ñ = ny.

D 14. dukkha, anicca, anattā; pain, unreliability and not me/not mine. Ref 14.

anattā often occurs in a trio in Buddhist doctrine, with dukkha and anicca.
These are the three characteristics or ti-lakkhaṇa, which is another central theme in Buddhist philosophy. ti-lakkhaṇa is most prominent in Buddhism, like paṭicca-samuppāda.

ti-lakkhaṇa or three characteristics of dukkha, anicca, anattā can be applied to the defilements. In short, defilements are described as –

suffering = dukkha
impermanent = aniccha, and
not really me nor mine = anattā.

This theme is offered as something to reflect on. It involves being perfectly honest about defilements, that they are suffering, and that no explanations nor justifications are needed about them. If we stop fuelling them, then they will soon dissolve and cease to trouble us.   And as they dissolve and pass away, then we can reflect : “Are they really me? Is my true nature to be defiled?”

However, ti-lakkhaṇa are often applied quite differently in Buddhism. They are applied to what is called saṅkhārā. They appear in a most famous quote of the Buddha –
sabbe saṅkhārā anicca, sabbe saṅkhārā dukkha, sabbe dhamma anatta.

In this context, saṅkhārā has a broader meaning (ref 15), including anything and everything in our lives, especially the people, possessions and pursuits of our lives. More importantly, our relationship with these important things. Such famous quotes are often kept succinct and concise, with all unnecessary words omitted. We really need to add words to make them sensible and workable, thus -

sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā = in every-thing (there can be) impermanence and unreliability, (at times).

sabbe saṅkhārā dukkha = in every-thing (there can be) suffering and problems, (at times).

sabbe dhamma anattā = in every-thing (there can be) need to let go (at times).

This is in the dhamma niyāma sutta, encoded Anguttara Nikaya 3. 3. 4. 4. (ref 14). The relevant verse reads –

dhamma-aṭṭhitato dhamma-niyāmato "sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā”
dhamma-aṭṭhitato dhamma-niyāmato "sabbe saṅkhārā dukkha”
dhamma-aṭṭhitato dhamma-niyāmato "sabbe dhammā anattā”

When this Dharma is carefully considered, it can be Dharma that is liberating and stabilising.   aṭṭhitato = carefully considered, niyāmato = liberating, stablising.

niyāma is well known as the second of the eight Principles of Astanga Yoga, as taught by Patanjali. In the Sanskrit dictionary, niyāma means restraint. This means to restrain the mind from its age old habit of wandering heedlessly in thought, in saṃsāra. Such thinking, unguarded and unguided, inevitably strays down dark paths where suffering lurks in ambush. The benefit and purpose of such restraint is the Way to be Free, the Way of Being Free of pain. This is a mind that is liberated and stabilised (niyāma). So in the Pali dictionary, niyāma means the effective Way to Liberation.

niyāma is spelled niyāmato in this Sutta, which is the ablative form. So the verse literally means :

‘When this Dharma “comes from careful consideration (aṭṭhitato),” and when this Dharma “comes from restraint of mind (niyāmato)”, then it can be liberating and stabilising (niyāma).’

This is an important point. If we do not carefully consider (aṭṭhita) anicca, dukkha, anattā, then it will only feed hopeless and defeatist attitudes. Such attitudes include :   “Everything is miserable and unreliable, and I can’t even control it! So why even bother trying??”

So it is most important to restrain (niyāma) the mind from such unhelpful and destructive thoughts. And to interpret this most Buddhist saying in the most helpful way -

Buddha says -
“sabbe saṅkhāra anicca,
sabbe saṅkhāra dukkha,
sabbe dhamma anattā”

“In everything, there can be impermanence and unreliability, at times.”
“In everything, there can be suffering and problems, at times.”
“In everything, there can be the need to let go, at times.”

Note the scripture uses the word dhamma instead of saṅkhāra for the expression “sabbe dhamma anattā”. The pāỊi word dhamma has many meanings, besides spiritual truth (Dharma). It can also mean “thing”, and has even broader meaning than saṅkhāra. dhamma can mean everything, including the enlightened state (nirvāṇa). saṅkhāra does not include nirvāṇa.

If we try to cling onto the enlightened state as it starts to weaken and dissolve, such attachment will only escalate the dissolution and disintegration of our peace and happiness. It is better to recognise that defilements have indeed returned with their suffering, and try to let go of them, before they can get out of hand. Try to nip the problem in the bud.

But if we perceive the enlightened state (nirvāṇa) as suffering (dukkha) and unreliable (anicca), such an attitude will only push it further away from us.

D 15.   Further Reading on Anatta.
Anatta is a foundational doctrine in Buddhism, and is related to anicca or impermanence. How is this doctrine traditionally presented in the religion? Ajahn Brahm is a senior Western Buddhist monk, and leading authority in Buddhism in Australia. I spent several years training in his Buddhist Society in Perth and in his forest monastery near Perth. His article on Anatta gives the more traditional interpretation, based on the detachment of Buddhist monasticism Available at –
https://bswa.org/teaching/anatta-non-self-paper/

This article starts with the prominent Buddhist saying that we explored in section D 14. :
sabbe sankhara anicca, sabbe sankhara dukkha, sabbe dhamma anatta.

Ajahn Brahm uses the term “jhana”. The corresponding word in Sanskrit is dhyān. In Buddhism, jhāna means the same as samādhi.    Both mean deep absorption into meditation. For Ajahn Brahm, jhana is an out-of-body experience, and few of his disciples can achieve this highly refined state.

I will let you explore the “officially correct version” by Ajahn Brahm, with no further comment from me.

References.

2. From the Preface of the book “The Bhagavad Gita”, by Eknath Easwaran, 1985. This describes ātman as experienced in deep meditation. Cited in section D 2. Eknath emigrated from India to USA in 1961, on the Fullbright Exchange Program as a Professor of English. He was Founder and Director of the Blue Mountains Center of Meditation for forty years, in Berkeley California, still going strong at https://www.bmcm.org/. Eknath wrote many books on spiritual practice.

4. From https://www.facebook.com/TheMantraRoom.Brisbane/   This talk by Gayatri was posted Sep 1, 2020, and describes ātman as spirit soul. Gayatri is leading the short header video clip for this website. Cited in sect D 4.

5. From https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org by Swami Mukundananda, of India. He toured USA in 2019, teaching his Yoga at 20 venues in many American cities. He provides word-for-word translation of the Sanskrit. It describes Immortality. Cited in sect D 5.

6b.   Adapted from – https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/kn/iti/iti.2.042-049x.irel.html#iti-043   This is from the Itivutaka. Cited in early in sect D 6. By Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, a most prominent Western Buddhist monk and translator of a thousand Buddhist Suttas, on accesstoinsight and his own website dhammatalks.   He is co-founder and Abbott since 1993 of Metta Forest Monastery, now with 9 monks, in San Diego County, California.

6b.   Adapted from – https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/kn/iti/iti.2.042-049x.irel.html#iti-043   This is from the Itivutaka. Cited in early in sect D 6.

7b.   From parinibbānah-etu suttaṃ AN 4. 4. 3. 9. Also called nibbāna sutta, AN 4. 179. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/sltp/AN_II_utf8.html#pts.167 has the Pali, at section 4. 4. 3. 9, in paragraph 5
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.179.than.html#fn-1 has Thanissaro’s translation, in paragraph 4.

7a. Adapted from “The Word of the Buddha”, by Nyanatiloka in German, 1906, p 25 – 26. Available at https://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/wordofbuddha.pdf and many other websites. Cited late in sect D 7. This most famous compilation of quotes from the Buddha defines the chief doctrines of Theravadan Buddhism. Nyanatiloka was a very early Western Buddhist monk and translator of Buddhist scriptures. He lived mostly in Sri Lanka.

9. From http://www.buddha-vacana.org/sutta/samyutta/khandha/sn22-059.html   This has word-for-word translation of the pāỊi, for the anattā lakkhaṇa sutta. Cited in sect D 7 and D 9.

11. Adapted from https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN46_11.html   Cited in sect D 11.   Thanissaro uses the term “seven factors for awakening” for the bodhyaṅga.

12a. From https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.bpit.html , para 19.   Majjhima Nikaya 2 (2000 words long) discusses 7 kinds of intoxicating defilements (āsava) to avoid. The first one discussed is unhelpful views and beliefs; being those concerning the higher self or soul (attā = ātman). Cited in sect D 12.

12b. From https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.010.than.html About self and soul. Cited in sect D 12.

13. From Paṭicca-samuppāda-suttaṃ in Saṃyutta-nikāyo, Dutiyo bhāgo (second part), section 1. 1. 1. Available at -
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/sltp/SN_II_utf8.html#pts.002 and
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html
gives Thanissaro’s translation.   Cited in sect D 13.

14. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ati/tipitaka/sltp/AN_I_utf8.html#pts.286 has the Pali for the 3 characteristics, at section 3. 3. 4. 4. Cited in section D 14.

Dictionaries and Glossaries Used.

I use several dictionaries and glossaries –
http://lirs.ru/lib/dict/Pali-English_Dictionary,1921-25,v1.pdf   This dictionary gives very detailed translations.

http://www.buddha-vacana.org/gloss.html is a glossary of many Pali words used in Buddhist scriptures

https://sanskritdictionary.com gives many meanings per word, but accepts only the correct spelling.

Buddhist Dictionary, by Nyanatiloka, 1946.   This is a manual of Buddhist terms and doctrines in Pali, translated into English.   Available at :   http://www.buddhistdownload.com/2016/05/buddhist-dictionary-manual-of-buddhist-terms.html and many other websites!

https://holybooks.com/interpreting-the-upanishads-by-ananda-wood   p 6 explains the etymology of pra-jñāna.

However, key words are best understood from long experience in spiritual practice. These include : ātman, nirvāṇa = nibbāna, aniccā, viññāṇa = vi-jñāna, sankhāra, saṃsāra, taṇhā.   In this, the simple dictionary meaning is the starting point, not the final word, in our understanding of the word and concept.

History of Buddhist Scripture in
This Alphabet and Language.

The Pali Canon, also called the Tipitaka or Sutta Pitaka, is the scriptures of Theravadan Buddhism, dominant in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and present in Cambodia. The Pali Text Society was founded by Mr T W Rhys Davids in 1881. It pioneered the translation of the Pali Canon into English, and they continue to sell their old books from Bristol, England to this day.   Their first task, in the late nineteenth century, was to write the Pali Canon in this Western alphabet, also called Roman text. This was easier said than done. PTS writes thus –

“The pattern of recitation and validation of texts by councils of monks has continued into the 20th century.”

“The majority of the manuscripts of the Pali Canon available to scholars since the PTS began can be dated to the 18th or 19th centuries C.E.”

“The language of the Pali Canon continued to be influenced by commentators and grammarians and by the native languages of the countries in which Theravāda Buddhism became established over many centuries.”

“No single script was ever developed for the language of the Pali canon; scribes used the scripts of their native languages to transcribe the texts.”

According to Günter Grönbold, the first complete printed edition of the Pali Canon was published in Burma in 1900, in 38 volumes (ref 18)

This complicated the task of early PTS scholars in Romanising the Pali Canon.
The original Pali could have been in several different alphabets used in different Buddhist countries of south Asia. There may also have been different versions of the same sutta. They might have had to write the Pali from oral recitations by Asian Buddhist monks. These monks would have been accustomed to reciting the whole sutta, start to finish, with no pausing. Yet the Western scholars would have needed the monk to frequently pause in his recitation, so the Westerner could to check and verify pronunciation, while they were writing it all down. Other Western scholars doing the same task might have used different spelling systems, or heard different pronunciations.

PTS published this Pali in Roman text as books, from the 1880’s.   Funding was difficult because of limited interest in books in Pali, but the PTS managed to publish over 80 volumes in Pali in their first 50 years of service. They also published their translations into English.

The Sutta Pitaka is the Dharma teachings of the Buddha as Suttas or discourses, short and long (digha), and includes short verses of only a few lines each. PTS published the Sutta Pitaka as follows –

In Pali
Samyutta Nikaya, 1884 - 1904, by L. Freer              in 6 volumes
Digha Nikaya,         1889 – 1910, by Mr Rhys Davids & JE Carpenter 3 vols
Anguttara Nikaya, 1888 - 1900, by R. Morris & E. Hardy in 6 vols
Majjhima Nikaya,   1888 – 1906, by V. Trenckner     in 4 volumes
Itivutaka,                  1889                by E Windisch        in 1 volume
Khudakka Nikaya,   1905 – 07, by AC Taylor (Paṭisambhidāmagga) 2 vols
Suttanipāta,             1913,            by Dines Andersen and Helmer Smith
Udāna,                      1885             by P. Steinthal (Khudakka Nikaya)

In English
Digha Nikaya,         1889 – 1920, by   Mr & Mrs Rhys Davids in 3 volumes.
Samyutta Nikaya, 1917 – 1930, by   Mrs Rhys Davids and FL Woodward, in five volumes.
Anguttara Nikaya, 1932 - 1936, by    F.L. Woodward, in 5 volumes
Majjhima Nikaya,   1954 – 1959, by   I B Horner,         in 3 volumes
Udāna,                      1935              by F L Woodward
Itivutaka,                  1935               by   F L Woodward
Sutta Nipata             2001 2nd ed by KR Norman, (date of 1st ed not given).
Sutta Nipata             2017              by Bhikkhu Bhodhi with commentary

Pali English Dictionary 1925     by Mr. T.W. Rhys Davids; 800,000 words.
This can be downloaded this from http://lirs.ru/lib/dict/Pali-English_Dictionary,1921-25,v1.pdf   I use it extensively.

This PTS dictionary is the best one to use for Pali scripture in Roman text from PTS. The dictionary we now have was published after PTS had most of the Pali Canon in Roman text. So the spelling and interpretations of dictionary and scripture correspond to each other.

In 1946, “Word of the Buddha” by Nyanatiloka Thera, was translated from German into English, in 93 pages. This compilation of quotes from the Buddha defines the chief doctrines of Theravadan Buddhism, and became a kind of ‘bible’ for the religion.

The original PTS translations were somewhat cumbersome to read, being the very first available. So Wisdom Publications released new translations in easier English, as follows –

Majjhima Nikaya in 1995, 1424 pages, by Bhikkhu Bodhi and Nyanamoli
Digha Nikaya in 1995, 648 pages, by Maurice Walsh
Samyutta Nikaya in 2003, 2080 pages, by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Anguttara Nikaya in 2012, 1944 pages, by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu also modified these original PTS translations and put them onto https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka , launched in 1995. Many suttas on this website have translations by other authors too.   Thanissaro uses strange language, perhaps to provide contrast the PTS translations that people had known for so many decades.   PTS allowed accesstoinsight to publish their original Romanised Pali on accesstoinsight, and I refer you to these.

Thanissaro then began his own website https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas Its table of contents gives a short summary of each sutta, but no Pali. accesstoinsight had been frozen, and no more material may be added to it.

Then the Australian monk Sujato Bhikkhu launched https://legacy.suttacentral.net in 2005, with major relaunch in 2018. This extraordinary website has all the Suttas for Anguttara Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Digha Nikaya. For each Sutta, Sujato provides the original Pali in Roman text, plus translations into between 10 and 20 languages! From a host of translators.   Plus many more scriptures that I know nothing about.

Sujato now lives in a small vihara in Sydney, with another monk. Sujato was at Bodhinyana Monastery when I was there around 2000. I stayed for a month at a rural Buddhist center in southern New South Wales when he was resident there, and his band ‘Purple Hearts’ played for our forest benefit concert in Perth in the late 1980’s, before he became a monk.

2500 years after the Buddha was born, in 1957 CE, the entire Tipitaka was published in Burmese script. This was the work of a Great International Tipiṭaka Council at Yangoon, attended by 2,500 erudite Theravāda Buddhist monks from all over the world.

In 2002 CE, The World Tipiṭaka Edition was published in Roman text in 40 volumes. This was the work of 500 Pali scholars, who transliterated from the Burmese script of 1957 to this Roman text. Monks who were Tipiṭaka experts also recited the entire Tipitaka to check for errors. This proof-reading totalled to 2,708,706 words in Pāḷi or 20,606,104 letters in Roman script.

Then 50 computer experts spent 80,000 hours over 5 years to digitise this publication, into the World Tipiṭaka Database. Completed in 2009. Available at – https://tipitaka.org/romn/     Sujato uses this source for his Pali, for it is in the public domain, and not subject to the copyright on PTS Pali. He says this 2009 database is quite similar to the old PTS Pali.

Reference.

18. Grönbold, Günter (1984), “Der buddhistische Kanon: eine Bibliographie”. Published in Wiesbaden, by Otto Harrassowitz. Cited in Wikipedia.

How do I Translate Sacred Verse?

I use the works of the well published translators mentioned above as a starting point. Their translations guide me to verses that might be promising.

Then I copy a promising paragraph from the original PTS Pali, which has no English at all. I refer you to these whenever I can. I copy into an MS Word document so I can increase font and sentence spacing to readable size, break it into sentences, and look for repetitions. The historical Buddha used repetitions to emphasise a theme.

Then I laboriously look up each Pali word in the PTS dictionary, which does not use the abc alphabetic sequence. Now I can type the English under each Pali word, in a word-for-word translation.

By this stage, my mind is clear of the officially correct translation (I can’t remember it). Now I have words in the only language I know. These will always suggest some theme in spiritual practice, from my forty years of daily practice.

Now I can compose proper sentences in English, to translate the sacred verse. Suttas in the Anguttara Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya are usually short and full of repetitions. I often find I need only quote 5 – 15 Pali words to translate the hidden meaning of a Sutta that is several hundred words long.

These new translations of ancient sacred verse usually bear little resemblance to the “officially correct” version that is widely published. I am under no obligation to conform to the doctrine of the religion, and their politics.

I am aware of this “politically correct” doctrine, for it was the first thing that Dhammika taught us in 1985 at the Buddhist Society of Victoria, then in the inner suburb of Richmond. I have been very familiar with “The Word of the Buddha” by Nyanatiloka for many decades. I used to have a photocopy of this famous treatise since my early days in Buddhism.

So I use traditional religious scripture in a non-traditional non-religious way. In one sense, I am not a Buddhist, for I do not venerate Buddhist monks (Sangha). Nor do I venerate what I have read and heard from them (Dhamma). Yet I use the original words of the Buddha, and Vyasa (who wrote the Bhagavad Gita) as an important guide to my daily spiritual practice. They are stuck up on my wall at home. Does this make me a Buddhist and a Hindu?

Spiritual Practice : Chapter DSelf Realisation atman, nirvana, anatta.​

Spiritual Practice : Chapter D

Self Realisation

atman, nirvana, anatta.