THE DOCTRINE OF ANATTA

 

A person might consider their body to be their self. But the self can be aware at a different location than the body, so the self is not the body.

A person might consider their personality to be their self. But the personality and its quirks can be quieted to silence so completely that the personality vanishes into nothingness, so the self is not the personality.

A person might consider their identity to be their self. But the self can love another so completely that the identity vanishes into the other, so the self is not the identity.

A person might consider their thoughts to be their self. But the self can exist without having a constant chatter of thoughts, so the self is not thoughts.

A person might consider their mind to be their self. But the self can exist without having any mind, so the self is not the mind.

A person might consider the universe to be their self. But the self can exist without being in a universe, so the self is not the universe.

A person might consider their creativity to be their self. But the self can exist without creating anything, so the self is not creativity.

A person might consider their being aware of things to be their self. But the self can exist without perception of anything, so the self is not perception.

A person might consider their being conscious to be their self. But the self can exist without being conscious, so the self is not consciousness.

A person might consider nothingness to be their self. But the self can exist as something too, so the self is not nothingness.

Anything you can be, you can not-be. Anything you can not-be, you can be. So all statements of being and not-being are rejected.

The self is not anything.
The self is not nothing.
The self is not both anything and nothing.
The self is not neither anything nor nothing.
None of these four statements can be applied.

This is an aspect of the doctrine of anatta which Gotama declared 2600 years ago.

Ouran