Ajahn Nissarano - Anatta (non-self) | 04 APR 2021 

Thank you, Ajahn. You are such a blessing to us all.

30 minutes and finding this a no-nonsense and highly perceptive talk. I am a new fan of Ajahn Nissarano.

Sadhu Sadhu SADHUUUUUUUUUU ❤️

Sadhu Ajahn, thank you 🙏🏻❤️

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu! Thank you Ajahn! 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you Ajahn

The first Dhamma talk of a Theravadin monk i've listened to in over 30 years. Having heard Bhante talking about Phra Khantipalo/Laurence Mills, i was impressed by his kindness, so thought i'd listen to this talk on anatta. Wasn't disappointed! Thank you for posting, 🙏💙

Thank you very much Ajahn

To see the impermnance of five kandas(five aggregates )one must see the arising and falling of the body and mind which is discribed in kuddaka ni patisambhidamagga pali udaya vaya niddeso .The person with this udaya vaya wishdom can see arising and falling of minds .you can see it like the vision in front of a waterfront during a rain .When water drops fall on the water thousands of tiny bubbles appear and disappear.The meditater experience the arising and falling of minds very much like that. One day of life seeing udaya vaya is worth than 100 yrs life without udaya vaya wishdom .(kuddaka ni dammapada vagga pali sahassa vagga 110 to 115)

Transferring of merits is correct but not dedication. In transfer, what is transferred is the mental energy as it's done by a living being and even the dead although dead in the body but not in the mental energy. The dead has already attained another bhava and a Jathi and therefore, sending pure mental energy certainly could be received if the dead is reborn in a state where it could receive it. We know that energy cannot be created nor destroyed but transformed or converted into another form. Mental energy is the most powerful energy in the universe which is completely understood and studied by only a Buddha and it is beyond the comprehension of an ordinary human being. So if one possesses a clean (pure) mind at the time of transferring merits and focus the mind on the recipient (departed), then it connects just like a receptor receives electromagnetic or radio waves from anywhere, it is transmitted. Dedication is usually for a physical objective or cause. 🙏🙏🙏

Sharpening the faculties for attainment. How to strive for attainment? Pay great attention to these 9 ways while you are practicing SATIPATTHANA VIPASANNA. The first way is that the meditator must keep in mind that he will realise the dissolution of mental and physical processes or compounded things when he observer them as they really are. This should be the attitude of a meditator. Sometimes he does not believe that every mental and physical process is impermanent, subject to arising and passing away (anicca). Because of this preconception he may not be able to realise the true nature of the mind-body processes. Though he may gain deep concentration, it would only enable him to attain peace and happiness to a limited extent. The commentary says: A meditator must keep in mind that he see only the destruction of arisen formations. 2. The second way is, he must practise mindfulness meditation seriously. If he lacks respect for the technique or the result of meditation, then he will not put enough effort into his practice. Consequently, he cannot concentrate his mind well on the object of meditation. He will not be able to realise the true nature of nama and rupa. 3. The third way is that his mindfulness of mental and physical processes must be uninterrupted, continuous, constant and sustained. Only then can he attain the deep concentration upon which he can build insight knowledge which penetrates into the true nature of mental and physical processes. This is a very important point which every meditator must follow. While you are awake, you must constantly and continuously be aware of whatever arises in your mind and body as it really is. Be mindful for the whole day without a break. The fourth way is the seven kinds of suitability which a meditator should depend upon: a suitable abode or meditation hall, resort for alms, speech, co-meditator, food, climate and posture. Whether or not the conditions are suitable, you should make enough effort in your practice. 5. The fifth way is that a meditator must remember the way by which he attained deep concentration. By practising itrepeatedly he thereby acquires the skill to enable him to attain deep concentration. 6. The sixth way is that a meditator must develop the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga). He must develop them as and when they are needed; they are: mindfulness, investigation of dhamma, energy, rapture, tranquility, concentration and equanimity. When the mind is sluggish he should develop the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness, investigation of dhamma, energy and rapture. While the mind is too active he must develop the factors of tranquility, concentration and equanimity. 7. The seventh way is he must not worry about his body or even his life. Sometimes a meditator who strives very hard in his meditative practice from four o' clock in the morning to ten at night without rest, may worry that his body is weak. He may not put forth enough effort in his practice and his mindfulness will not be constant, continuous and sustained. When mindfulness is weak, it cannot bring about deep concentration. When concentration is weak, insight knowledge of the true nature of bodily and mental processes will not unfold. That is why the VISUDDHI MAGGA says that to sharpen these five mental faculties the meditator must not be concerned about his body and health. He must strive to the utmost, practising strenuously for the whole day without taking rest or a break and without concern for the body. 8. The eighth way is that whenever mental or physical pain arises, he should strive to note it by putting more effort into his practice. When pain arises, there is a tendency or desire to change position so that it will disappear, but he must not do so. Instead, he must put more effort in his practice to overcome the pain by being aware of it more energetically, attentively and precisely. The pain will become his 'friend' because it enables him to attain deep concentration and clear insight. The ninth way is that he must not stop half-way to his goal. He must not stop his practice of mindfulness meditation before he attains Arahantship. He must strive his best, putting persistent effort in his practice until he has achieved his goal. There are the mind ways of sharpening five mental faculties. We can summarize them as follows: 1. Keep in mind the aim to realise the impermanence of the mental-physical processes. 2. Practise the Dhamma seriously and with respect. 3. Maintain constant, uninterrupted and continuous mindfulness by being aware of all daily activities. 4. Seven kinds of suitability must be followed 5. Remember how to achieve the concentration that was attained previously 6. Develop the seven Factors of Enlightenment 7. Do not worry about your bodily health and life during meditation 8. Overcome physical pain through strenuous effort in your practice 9. Do not stop half-way to your goal. You must always be striving so long as you have not yet attained Arahantship. Buddhang saranam gacchami

Do you read Pali, sir? Do you know how many times Sakamune quoted the ADJECTIVE Anatta in the Nikayas, i mean, did you read the Pali Canon? Do you know what Brahmayama is? You turned an ADJECTIVE into a proper NOUN because of your historical ignorance... If X is not A, If X is not B, If X is not C: so I can't say that X doesn't exist. You are not good in logic, sorry.

What has Buddhism to say of the Self? "That's not my Self" (na me so atta); this, and the term "non Self-ishness" (anatta) predicated of the world and all "things" (sabbe dhamma anatta); Identical with the Brahmanical "of those who are mortal, there is no Self/Soul", (anatma hi martyah [SB., II. 2. 2. 3]). [KN J-1441] “The Soul is the refuge that I have gone unto”. For anatta is not said of the Self/Soul but what it is not. There is never and nowhere in sutra, a ‘doctrine of no-Soul’, but a doctrine of what the Soul is not (form is anatta, feelings are anatta, etc.). It is of course true that the Buddha denied the existence of the mere empirical “self” in the very meaning of “my-self” (this person so-and-so, namo-rupa, an-atta, i.e. Bob, Sue, Larry etc.), one might say in accordance with the command ‘denegat seipsum, [Mark VII.34]; but this is not what modern and highly unenlightened writers mean to say, or are understood by their readers to say; what they mean to say and do in fact say, is that the Buddha denied the immortal (amata), the unborn (ajata), Supreme-Self (mahatta’), uncaused (samskrta), undying (amara) and eternal (nicca) of the Upanishads. And that is palpably false, for he frequently speaks of this Self, or Spirit (mahapurisha), and nowhere more clearly than in the too often repeated formula 'na me so atta’, “This/these are not my Soul” (na me so atta’= anatta/anatman), excluding body (rupa) and the components of empirical consciousness (vinnana/ nama), a statement to which the words of Sankhara are peculiarly apposite, “Whenever we deny something unreal, is it in reference to something real” [Br. Sutra III.2.22]; since it was not for the Buddha, but for the nihilist (natthika), to deny the Soul. For, [SN 3.82] “yad anatta….na me so atta, “what is anatta…(means) that is not my Atman”; the extremely descriptive illumination of all thing which are Selfless (anattati) would be both meaningless and a waste of much time for Gotama were (as the foolish commentators espousing Buddhism’s denial of the atman) to clarify and simplify his sermons by outright declaring ‘followers, there is no atman!’, however no such passage exists. The Pali for said passage would be: ‘bhikkhave, natthattati!’; and most certainly such a passage would prove the holy grail and boon for the Theravadin nihilists (materialists) who have ‘protesteth too much’ that Buddhism is one in which the atman is rejected, but to no avail or help to their untenable views and position by the teachings themselves. Outside of going into the doctrines of later schisms of Buddhism, such as Sarvastivada, Theravada, Vajrayana, Madhyamika, and lastly Zen, the oldest existing texts (Nikayas) of Buddhism which predate all these later schools of Buddhism [The Sanchi and Bharut inscriptions (aka the Pillar edicts) unquestionably dated to the middle of the second century B.C.E. push the composition of the 5 Nikayas back to a earlier date by mentioning the word “pañcanekayika” (Five Nikyas), thereby placing the Nikayas as put together (no later than) at a period about half way between the death of the Buddha and the accession of Asoka (before 265 B.C.), as such the 5 Nikayas, the earliest existing texts of Buddhism, must have been well known and well established far earlier than generally perceived. Finally proving the majority of the five Nikayas could not have been composed any later than the very earliest portion of the third century B.C.E.], anatta is never used pejoratively in any sense in the Nikayas by Gotama the Buddha, who himself has said: [MN 1.140] “Both formerly and now, I’ve never been a nihilist (vinayika), never been one who teaches the annihilation of a being, rather taught only the source of suffering (that being avijja, or nescience/agnosis), and its ending (avijja).” Further investigation into negative theology is the reference by which one should be directed as to a further understanding of this 'negative' methodology which the term anatta illuminates. It should be noted with great importance that the founder of Advaita Vedanta, Samkara used the term anatman lavishly in the exact same manner as does Buddhism, however in all of time since his passing, none have accused Samkara of espousing a denial of the Atman. Such as: “Atma-anatma vivekah kartavyo bandha nuktaye”“The wiseman should discriminate between the Atman and the non-Atman (anatman) in order to be liberated.” [Vivekacudamani of Samkara v. 152], “Anatman cintanam tyaktva kasmalam duhkah karanam, vintayatmanam ananda rupam yan-mukti karanam.””Give up all that is non-Atman (anatman), which is the cause of all misery, think only of the Atman, which is blissful and the locus of all liberation.” [Vivekacudamani of Samkara v. 379], “Every qualifying characteristic is, as the non-Atman (anatman), comparable to the empty hand.” [Upadisa Sahasri of Samkara v. 6.2], “the intellect, its modifications, and objects are the non-Atman (anatman).” [Upadisa Sahasri of Samkara v. 14.9], “The gain of the non-Atman (anatman) is no gain at all. Therefore one should give up the notion that one is the non-Atman (anatman).” [Upadisa Sahasri of Samkara v. 14.44]. In none of the Buddhist suttas is there support for "there is no-atman" theories of anatta . The message is simply to cease regarding the very khandhas in those terms by which the notion of atman has, itself, been so easily misconstrued. As has been shown, detaching oneself from the phenomenal desire for the psycho-physical existence was also a central part of Samkara’s strategy. There is, hence, nothing in the suttas that Samkara, the chief proponent of Advaita Vedanta, would have disagreed with.