Natta vs anatta

Buddhalaisuuden yksi kaikkein pahimmin väärin käsitettyjä konsepteja on anatta ("ei-itse", "non-Self"). Se EI TARKOITA samaa kuin "ei minkäänlaista pysyvää, muuttumatonta sielua", vaan se tarkoittaa "egomme on kuolevainen ja skandhojen summa ja tuhoutuu kuolemassa".

Useimmat länsimaalaiset buddhalaiset ovat käsittäneet anatta-periaatteen täysin väärin, ja anattaa käytetään usein lyömäaseena kristinuskoa vastaan. TÄMÄ ON VÄÄRÄ KÄSITE. Anatta ei tarkoita "sielua ei ole". Se tarkoittaa "se, mitä sielu ei ole".

Meidän minuutemme (= ego, Vanha Aatami) on kuolevainen, se tuhoutuu kuolemassa, ja se ei ole muuta kuin kokemustemme, muistojemme, tunteittemme, halujemme ja himojemme summa. Tämä siis on "natta" (jonka vastakohta on anatta). Kuitenkin tämä on vain osatotuus.

Wikipediasta:

The Pali term and noun for “no soul” is natthatta (literally “there is not/no[nattha] atta’[Soul]), not the term anatta, and is mentioned at Samyutta Nikaya 4.400, where when Gotama was asked if there “was no soul (natthatta)”, equated this question to be equivalent to Nihilism (ucchedavada). Common throughout Buddhist sutra is the denial of psycho-physical attributes of the mere empirical self to be the Soul, or confused with same. The Buddhist paradigm as regards phenomena is “Na me so atta” (this/these are not my soul), nearly so the most common utterance of Gotama Buddha in the Nikayas, where “na me so atta” = Anatta/Anatman. In sutra, to hold the view that there is “no-Soul” (natthatta) is = to ucchedavada (SN 4.400) [Annihilationism] = natthika (nihilist).

Ja buddhalaisuus kiistää jyrkästi nihilismin sekä annihilationismin.

Se, mikä meissä kaikissa on pysyvää, ajatonta ja muuttumatonta, se "elämän kipinä", on tathagatagarbha - "buddhuus" tai "buddha-luonto", josta kristinuskon puolella käytetään nimeä "sielu". Tuo tathagatagarbha muodostaa kaiken olemassaolevaisen kanssa buddha-dhatun, "buddha-tietoisuuden", josta kristinuskon puolella käytetään nimeä "pyhäin yhteys" tai "unio mystica".

Me kaikki olemme tavalla tai toisella yhteydessä toisiimme ja olemme kaikki yhtä ja samaa substanssia - niin sinä ja minä ja Hentun Liisa ja Juorkunan Jussi ja ketä niitä nyt olikaan.

Mahaparinirvana Sutra sanoo kaiken:

The Buddha on his eternal and blissful ultimate nature as he stands on the brink of physical death:

" ... if you perceive things truly, you will become free from attachment, separated from them, you will indeed be liberated. I have well crossed the watery waste of existence. I abide in bliss, having transcended suffering, therefore I am devoid of unending desire, I have eliminated attachment and gained Liberation [moksha]. There is no old age, sickness or death for me, my life is forever without end. I proceed burning bright like a flame. You must not think that I shall cease to exist. Consider the Tathagata [i.e. Buddha] to be like [Mount] Sumeru: though I shall pass into Nirvana here [i.e. physically die], that supreme bliss is my true nature [dharmata]." (Tibetan version)

"The Buddha-Tathagatas are not eternally extinguished in Nirvana like the heat of an iron ball that is quickly extinguished when cast into water. Moreover, it is thus: just as the heat of an iron ball is extinguished when thrown into water, the Tathagata is likewise; when the immeasurable mental afflictions have been extinguished, it is similar to when an iron ball is cast into water - although the heat is extinguished, the substance / nature of the iron remains. In that way, when the Tathagata has completely extinguished the fire of the mental afflictions that have been accumulated over countless aeons, the nature of the diamond Tathagata permanently endures - not transforming and not diminishing." (Fa-xian version)

On his teaching of "non-Self" (the "worldly self", which ultimately does not exist eternally, but obscures the True Self) and the tathagata-garbha:

"When I have taught non-Self, fools uphold the teaching that there is no Self. The wise know that such is conventional speech, and they are free from doubts.

"When I have taught that the tathagata-garbha is empty, fools meditatively cultivate [the notion] that it is extinction [uccheda], subject to destruction and imperfect. The wise know that it is [actually] unchanging, stable and eternal."

Ja tuo on juuri täsmälleen sama, mitä Paavali puhuu "maailmalle kuolemisesta" ja "vanhan Aatamin ristiinnaulitsemisesta" UT:n puolella.