The characteristic of non-self is the compendium of the doctrine of the Buddha that deviates from all other religious beliefs outside Buddhism. Everyone in normal circumstances considers that there is a living entity which is called the soul. Therefore, all the religious beliefs outside Buddhism have been gathered around the view that this soul resides in all living creatures. The Buddha has named this concept of soul by the name of atta (self). The essence of Buddhism is to consider the characteristics of non-self since the Buddha teaches that there is not a self.
Anattalakkhanasutta is the second discourse delivered by the Buddha to the group of five ascetics. Dhammacakkappavattana sutta is the first discourse, by which the Venerable Kondanna attained the first stage of Nibbana (sotapanna), and was admitted into the Order of the Buddha by the Ehi-bhikkhu ordination. The remaining four ascetics did not attain Nibbana by listening to dhamma and therefore, the Buddha encouraged them to engage themselves in the vigorous practice of Dhamma within the next four days. The Buddha himself also stayed with them to clarify the meditation instructions. This is a good example in early Buddhism that the attainment of the first stage of Nibbana (sotapanna) is not only by listening to Dhamma but also by practicing insight meditation. After the attainment of the path and fruition by the other four ascetics, after the admission into the Order of the Buddha, on the fifth day, the Buddha discoursed this Anattalakkhanasutta by explaining the characteristic of non-self by which the group of five Bhikkhus became Arahant.
An ordinary person who has not attained the path and fruition has a thinking of a living entity residing within themselves and others. Therefore, they have an expectation of dominating all the material forms, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness that belong to themselves. However, the Buddha’s teaching is that the realistic behavior of all of these factors is non-selfness. The material form is not-self, the feeling is not-self, the perception is not-self, the mental formations are not-self, and the consciousness is not-self. The Buddha aimed to give the understanding of this non-selfness to the group of five Bhikkhus for their attainment of the final stage of Nibbana (arhat).
The origin of the sutta is in the Isipatana, the deer park near Baranasi. The Blessed One addressed the group of five Bhikkhus and they replied to the Buddha. Then the Blessed One discoursed Anattalakkhanasutta by explaining the characteristic of non-self.
Material form
“Rupam, bhikkhave, anatta. Rupancahidam, bhikkhave, atta abhavissa, nayidam rupam abadhaya samvatteyya, labbhetha ca rupe ‘Evam me rupam hotu, evam me rupam ma ahosi’ ti. Yasma ca kho, bhikkhave, rupam anatta, tasma rupamabadhaya samvattati, na ca labbhatirupe ‘Evam me rupamhotu, evam me rupam ma ahosi ti.
“Vedana anatta… pe… Sanna anatta…pe… Sankhara anatta…pe…Vinnanam anatta… evam me vinnanam maahosi ti.
“O Bhikkhus, material form is not-self; if the material form were self, then the material form would not lead to affliction, and it could (be said) of the material form: ‘May my form be thus, may my form not be thus’. O Bhikkhus, indeed, since the material form is not self, therefore material form leads to affliction, and it cannot (be said) of the material form: ‘May my form be thus, may my form not be thus’.”
“O Bhikkhu, the feeling is not-self…cont. Perception…cont. Mental formations…cont. Consciousness is not self …cont. may my consciousness not be thus.”
Thinking of a living entity residing in all living creatures has led to all the attachments and detachments. When someone receives profits, goodwill, appreciation, etc. he creates a thinking of himself who receives them. Also, when someone has losses, etc. he thinks that he received them. With this thinking of self, everyone creates attachments and detachments in the world, which was mentioned by the Buddha as creating the cycle of reborn (samsara). Therefore, the thinking of a soul, self, or ego residing within all living beings is a significant factor in creating craving (tanha) and ignorance (avijja).
The Buddha’s teaching is that there is no self for thinking, doing, speaking, etc. and there are mere physical and mental processes. One who attained the path and fruition realizes this phenomenon and therefore becomes free from all attachments and detachments. Insight meditators also can note this phenomenon through deep contemplation of all material and immaterial components (nama & rupa).
In this Anattalakkhanasutta, the Buddha guides us to create the thinking of non-self. It says a word abadhayasamvatteyya (lead to affliction), which means the material form, feeling, etc. are not in the domination of the person, and therefore, no one can get away from afflictions resulting in the form, etc. The characteristic of non-self is that no one can command the material form, etc. to be thus and to be not thus.
The meditator who contemplates the material identifies the four types of materials i.e. earth (pathavi), water (apo), heat (tejo), and wind (vayo) by their qualities of solidity, temperature, motion, and fluidity and cohesion. Having pondered and identified these four great essentials (mahabhuta), thereafter derived materials (upadayarupa) also to be ruminated. With this deep serious and careful thought to material phenomena, the meditator gains an insight knowledge of the functions of material phenomena that they have not been dominated by a self or a doer. All these material phenomena are interconnected with the immaterial phenomena (nama), i.e. consciousness (citta) and mental factors (cetasika).
Immaterial aggregates
Therefore, the meditator contemplates the immaterial phenomena as well by which he gains insight knowledge on four immaterial aggregates, i.e. feeling (vedna), perception (sanna), mental formation (sankhara), and consciousness (vinnana). Through this contemplation, the meditator gains an insightful knowledge of the functions of immaterial and material (namarupa) that are independent but interconnected. The meditator can understand all immaterial and material phenomena separately which creates an insightful knowledge of the separation of the immaterial and material (namarupapariccedanana). This stage is vital to the meditator to break the thought of a person.
Every ordinary person has a thought of a person, a soul, or a self due to the collective understanding of all five aggregates. Having separated the immaterial from the material, he eradicates this collective understanding and therefore he experiences that there is no a person at all. No soul is residing within the person to do their functions. He understands the characteristics of the non-self through insight meditation.
Material phenomena
After having created an insight knowledge of the separation of immaterial and material factors, the meditator contemplates all sensual bases (ayatana), i.e. eye (cakkhu), ear (sota), nose (ghana), tongue (jivha), body (kaya), and consciousness (mana). The meditator identifies that the sensitive part of the eye enables the person to see objects. There is no self or a doer who sees the objects, whereas the sensitive part made of four types of great essentials (bhutarupa) and derivative matters (upadarupa), creates the reflection of whatever object in front of the eye, and the visual- consciousness (cakkhuvinnana) arises because that reflection. The ordinary person understands this phenomenon as a function of a living entity of self. Similarly, all sensitive material qualities of the ear, nose, tongue, and body create the related consciousness without a doer of self.
The Buddha in Anattalakkhanasutta guides us to contemplate this characteristic of non-self by dividing the whole living being into five aggregates, i.e. material (rupa), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), mental formation (sankhara), and consciousness (vinnana). The Buddha’s argument here is that if these five aggregates are self, they would not lead to affliction. The person should have a domination over all these aggregates. The practitioner experiences this phenomenon of non-self in that the person doesn’t have domination over any of the aggregates.
Thereafter, in this Anattalakkhanasutta, the Buddha questioned the five Bhikkhus about the rest of the two characteristics, i.e. impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha). Having considered these two characteristics, the Buddha finally concludes that due to impermanence and suffering, none of these aggregates can be considered as self.
Therefore, the meditator should contemplate all material phenomena and immaterial phenomena as non-self. The five bhikkhus attained Arahant by listening to this Anattalakkhanasutta, and by contemplating the characteristic of non- self.
This Anattalakkhanasutta is an important discourse by the Buddha that guides us to consider the characteristic of non-self, which is a vital, serious, and careful consideration to give up the thought of a person. Having practiced insight meditation, the practitioner may eradicate the thought of a living entity, the self. This discourse evidences that in order to attain the final stage of Nibbana, this contemplation of non-self is important.
Therefore, everyone who desires to attain Nibbana should consider this characteristic of non-self.
Ven Mahawa Gnanaloka Thera
