The essence of Mahayana Buddhism is that it points to the transcendent, even resurrecting the atman in Sutras like the Nirvana Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra.
There might be several reasons why Mahayana Buddhism developed and become so prominent. One possible reason is that some Buddhists, after the Buddha's death, became fed up with the no-self teaching which had taken a turn towards nihilism. They may have started other schools trying to reform Buddhism; trying to make it a religion of hope instead of despair. Another possible reason is that shortly after the Buddha’s death a radical split developed between the antitranscendentalists, who disbelieved in anything their senses could not perceive, and the transcendentalists, who subscribed to the theory that behind the temporal veil is an unchanging ground of reality.
Leaving aside further analysis for now, some of the tenets of non-Mahayana Buddhism have, over the years, gained wide appeal. One tenet, in particular, is the no-self doctrine which mainly has its roots in the Theravada tradition.
The main thrust of Theravada Buddhism is its denial of an unconventional self which transcends sensory consciousness. Instead, it choses to limit self to a conventionalist view of self; a self which is personal but, nevertheless, finite having no real existence.
This conventionalist interpretation of Gautama’s discourses rests upon two supports. The first support is that the term ‘self’, as used in the Pali canon, has only a conventional designation. It strictly refers to the personal, psychophyscial being which is made up of Five Aggregates; which are usually given as form, sensation, perception, habitual formations, and consciousness. The second support is that, without exception, the Buddha denied an unconventional self which transcends the Five Aggregates. It should be added to this, that both of these supports are critical for the no-self doctrine of Theravada Buddhism. There can be no exceptions by way of scripture.
If, in fact, an exception occurs within scripture, then it is more than likely that the Buddha taught a transcendent self and that Mahayana Buddhism, in its development, was an endeavor to restore the unconventional, transcendent side of Gautama’s teaching which had been previously suppressed by the antitranscendentalists.
At this point, we need to examine the Pali canon to see if the self is strictly used ‘always conventionally’ and ‘never unconventionally’. If there are any gray areas or utterances made by Gautama which even seem to refer to an unconventional self, which is other than a designation for the Five Aggregates, then the no-self doctrine has to be rejected; which means it is a deficient (hina) teaching of the Buddha; Mahayana thus being the more complete teaching.
Rather than pose arguments which can become complex and arcane to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, I will present a number of passages which fall into the category of the ‘unconventional self’ which is not associated with the Five Aggregates. This simply means that the self used in these contexts in transcendent and unconventional.
“They who have the light of self (attadipa), possess nothing. They wander form place to place every way released” (Sutta-Nipata 501).
“One who by the path made by the self (pajjena katena attanâ), is gone to utter coolness (parinibbânagato), has crossed all doubt, leaving aside becoming and non-becoming, one who has lived the life, who has suppressed all rebirth, such a one is called a true bhikkhu” (Sutta-Nipata 514)
“Let the bhikkhu become calm in the self (ajjhattam). Let him not look for quietude from another, for one who is calm in the self (ajjhattam), nothing is assumed nor therefore rejected” (Sutta-Nipata 919).
“The self (in thee), man, knows what is true or false. Surely the noble Witness, sir, the Self, you do misjudge, in that when sin is there you do conceal the Self within the self...Thus he who has the Self as master, let him walk with heed, for whom the world is master—shrewdly walk, for whom Dhamma is master (as a) muser (let him walk). Who lives as Dhamma bids him never fails” (Anguttara-Nikaya 1.149, from I.B. Horner's Early Buddhist Theory of Man Perfected, p. 145)
“The Perfect Buddhas who have passed, the Perfect Buddhas yet to come, the Perfect Buddha who is now, and hath for many banished woe—all dwelt and shall dwell: 'tis their way. So he to whom the self is dear (attakâma), who longeth for the great Self (mahattam)—he should homage unto Dhamma pay, remembering the Buddha-word” (Anguttara-Nikaya, ii.21, IV, III, 22).
“When consciousness is unestablished, not coming to growth, nongenerative, it is liberated (vimuttam). The self liberated (vimutt-attâ), it is immovable, the self immovable, it is content, whose self is content, is not agitated. Unagitated, the very self (paccattam) surely attains complete nibbana” (Samyutta-Nikaya, iii.53–54).
“But monks, an instructed disciple of the pure ones...regards material shape as: ‘This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self;’ he regards feeling as: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self;’ he regards perception as: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self;’ he regards the habitual tendencies as: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self;’ he regards consciousness as: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ And also he regards whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognised, reached, looked for, pondered by the mind as:’ This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’” (Majjhima-Nikaya, i.136).
"It is as if there was for a man a house having eleven doors; if that house were on fire, he would be able to save himself (lit. the self) by any of those doors. In the same way I will be able to make the self safe (attânam sotthim kâtum) by anyone of those eleven doors that lead to the undying (amata)" (Majjhima-Nikaya, 1.353).
“Here he rejoices, hereafter he rejoices; one who performed meritorious deeds rejoices in both existences. He rejoices and greatly rejoices seeing the karmic purity of the self (kammavisuddhim attano)” (Dhammapada 16).
“Go on the right path announced [to you] and never turn back, inciting the self by the self (attana codayattanam), one should win Nirvana” (Theragatha 637).
Great resource for pro-self statements in the Nikayas and others. Thank you.
Posted by: Lebensgeist | September 11, 2007 at 11:36 AM