The Three Marks of Existence: Anatta PDF

## The three marks of existence: anatta ### What is anatta? In Buddhism, the concept of anatta was developed in contrast to the belief in a soul or unchanging self. Anatta is often translated as 'no self', but it does not mean that Buddhists believe there is no concept of 'I', 'me' or 'self', just...

## The three marks of existence: anatta ### What is anatta? In Buddhism, the concept of anatta was developed in contrast to the belief in a soul or unchanging self. Anatta is often translated as 'no self', but it does not mean that Buddhists believe there is no concept of 'I', 'me' or 'self', just that the self is not fixed or permanent. The Buddha taught that there is no fixed part of a person that does not change. > If all the harm, fear, and suffering in the world occur due to grasping on to the self, what use is that great demon to me? > > *Shantideva (Indian Buddhist monk from the eighth century)* ### Nagasena and the chariot A story that is often used to illustrate the concept of anatta is found in a text called 'The questions of King Milinda'. King Milinda was a Greek king who lived some 200 years or more after the Buddha. One day a monk called Nagasena arrived at the court of King Milinda. The king asked Nagasena what his name was. The monk replied that he was known as Nagasena, but that this was merely his name, without any reference to a real self or person. The king was confused by this and asked how there could be a person before him, who was standing in robes and was hungry for food, if Nagasena was just a name. Nagasena replied in what might be seen as a strange way. He asked the king how he had arrived today. The king said that he had arrived by chariot. Nagasena asked him to point out what a chariot was, which the king did. Nagasena then said that a chariot is not the wheels or the axle or the yoke, but is actually something separate to these things. So, the term 'chariot', like the term 'Nagasena', is merely a name used to refer to a collection of parts. Nagasena said that people are made up of various body parts like liver, kidneys, lungs and so on, but only when these are put together in a particular order and given a name do we recognise the 'owner' of these parts. A chariot exists but only in relation to its parts; likewise a person exists but only in relation to the parts they are made up of. There is not a separate 'self' that is independent from these parts. ### The five aggregates The Buddha taught that people are made up of five parts. These are called the five aggregates (skandhas). They are: * Form (our bodies) * Sensation (our feelings) * Perception (our recognition of what things are) * Mental formations (our thoughts) * Consciousness (our awareness of things) The Buddha said that these parts are constantly changing. Therefore the 'self' - which is the sum of all these parts - is also constantly changing. On pages 18-19 we saw that according to Buddhist teaching, death is followed by rebirth. But if there is no fixed, independent 'self' or 'soul' then what is reborn? How is someone's identity taken forward into their new body? For Buddhists, the answer is that there is a continuation of kammic energy, which means that the energy that is a person's kamma passes on into another being ### Discussion activity Ask a partner to describe themselves to you and take notes of what they say. Read your notes back to them. Then ask them whether they have mentioned anything about themselves that will not change over time. ### Activities 1. Explain why Buddhists believe there is no permanent self. 2. Explain the concept of anatta by using a more modern-day example than a chariot. 3. If there is no permanent, independent self, how is rebirth possible? ### Summary You should now be able to explain the concept of anatta. You should also understand the Buddhist view that people are all made up of five parts that are always changing. ### Links Learn more about the five aggregates on pages 36-37. ### Study tip You could think of the Buddhist idea of the 'self' like a long-running football team. Many things about the team change over the years - new players come and go, as do new supporters, the team's position in the league changes, and so on. But the team itself still exists and has its own identity, even though it is made up of many changing parts.