This is the topic of our next Haight street workshop meeting: Comment In regards to Anatma as preamble or clarification to our continued conversation upon Karma. My source sutras are the following: Srimala Sutra Mahaparinirvana Sutra Tathagatagarbha Sutra The Buddha clarifies his statements by stating that what we think of as the conventional self is actually an aggregation or constituents of the 5 Skandhs namely body, sensations, ideation, mental formations and consciousness. The last consciousness, comes closest to the western ideal of “self”, however even consciousness is ever-changing, transforming and without a fixed nature. And as we read in the Heart Sutra, this is stated explicitly. “…deeply practicing prajna paramita, clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty and thus relieved all suffering. Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself form. Sensations, perceptions, formations, and consciousness are also like this. Shariputra, all dharmas are marked by emptiness;” There for it must be concluded that as far as the conventional self is concerned there is no eternal soul or individual spark or element that can be equated with the notion of an Brahmanistic or monotheistic “Atman”. However the Concept of Buddhadhatu which is the essential original self or shall we say “true-self of the Buddha himself also termed the Tathagatagarbha does not represent the notion of a substantial , metaphysical –super-self ( which is the definition of Atman) but rather is a positive language expression of Sunyata or Emptiness which allows for the potential for Buddha nature to arise. This should be thought of as Soteriological in nature and not as a theoretical description. This may be a digression further but is worthy stating before we begin talking about Karma, that Sunyata is not a Nihilistic rejection of the concept of existence and or meaning but a rejection of the distinction between existence and non-existence or as Nargajuna puts it “ between being and no-thingness”. Phenomena and I would even say Nomina , do not exist as isolated or separate and distinct from causes and conditions. The absence of a permanent unchanging substantial self does not preclude them from experiencing change. In fact I would argue that this self-less nature is exactly what makes change and transformation possible on a conventional natural level as well as a conventional self level. Just as you cannot distinguish an object from its causes and conditions nor can you distinguish object from subject even on a conventional natural level as is quit accepted in modern particle physics as the Schrodinger cat example illuminates. This is a summery of previous discussions and serves as a brief prelude to the next discussion. Buddha Dhatu The Abhidhamma – Karma Bija The Historical context of this doctrine originates with the early Abhidhamma investigation of metaphysical concepts that arose in the Nikaya schools pertaining to the underlying apparent or perceived contradiction with the notion of Karma and rebirth which suggest that there is some “essence” being born and reborn and how this can be understood in the light of Anatta. The origin of the Karma Bija is the debate between Sautrantikha and Sarvastivadinhs on Dharmas as phenomena. The Karma Bija was seen as the dormant potentials that gave rise to birth and rebirth. It is here that I would like to begin our discussion.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 03:34:07 +0000
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