Let’s study together thru the conversation of the students who really need to know about “Buddhism”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo4hXkdLlV4

Tom :  When talking about the Three

              Common Characteristics of

              Existence, I think that the first

              two are not too hard for me.

              But the third one is quite

              difficult to understand.

Pim :   Yes, the first two characteristics

              can be seen and experienced in

              our daily life.  They were also

             taught in some other religions.

              But the third one –

             the characteristic of not-self,

             can only be found in Buddhism.

             And it is one of the really

             distinctive teaching of

             Lord Buddha.

Tom :  “Not-Self”.  What does it

              literally mean?

Pim :   In order to be clear about the

              meaning of the word “not-self”,

              we should look at the meaning

              of the word “self”.  As a

              religious term, “self” refers to

              a real, independent, and a

              permanent entity that is

              represented by the term “I”.           

Tom :  Therefore “not-self” means

              the “I” is unreal, dependent,

              and impermanent entity,

              doesn’t it?

Pim :   Yes, it simply means the “I”

              is not the self.

Tom :  Well, we do say, “I am a man”,

              or “I am sitting”, or “I am

              doing so and so”.  I wonder why

              Buddhism can deny the self,

              deny the reality of the “I”.

Pim :   I think the Buddhist rejection

              of the “I” is not a rejection of

              the convenient term “I”, but

              rather a rejection of the

              concept that the “I” referred to

              a permanent and changeless

              entity.  This is because in the

              Buddhist analysis of personal

             experience, a human being is

              composed of five aggregates:

              form, sensation, perceptions,

              mental formations, and

              consciousness.  From this

              analysis the self is not found.

              That is to say, neither the body

              nor the mind is the self.  Also,

              Lord Buddha used the examples

              of the chariot and the forest to

              explain the relation between

              the term “I” and the parts of

              personal experience.  He

             explained that the term chariot

              is simply a convenient name for

              a collection of parts that are

              assembled in a proper way.  The

             bodywork is not the chariot. 

             Neither is the axle nor the

             wheels.  In the same way, each

              tree is not the forest.  Neither

              are a number of individual trees.

              The term forest is simply a

              convenient name for a collection

              of individual trees.  Lord Buddha

              applied this analysis to the body

              and mind to indicate that the

              self is not found in the body nor

             the mind.  If the body and the

              mind were the self, they would

              be permanent and would last

              forever.

Tom :  The body and mind are not the

              self, are they ?

Pim :   No, of course not.

Tom :  Therefore, the “I” is not the self

              because it is subject to change,

              decay, destruction and death.

Pim :   Now, can you see that

              all compounded things are

              impermanent, whatever is

              impermanent is suffering,

              and whatever is impermanent

              and suffering is not-self ?

Tom :  Yes, I have much better

              understanding of the Three

              Common Characteristics of

              Existence.  I rejoice in your

              merit.

Pim :   Sadhu.

Thanks & regards : AJ S. Srisopa (Cr. All Dhammateachers)  &  Not-Self