Gautama the Buddha puts the average worldling into an awkward position. Either we believe that Gautama taught that we are this perishable body of flesh, muscles and bones or he did not. If the former, which amounts to materialism, when our physical body perishes so do we perish. If the latter, when the body perishes we do not perish. And the reason is easy, it is because we truly are not this perishable body even though we might believe otherwise.
If we read the words of the Buddha, he appears to be teaching his students that they should not regard their perishable body made up of the five aggregates of material form, feeling, perception, volitional formations and consciousness as who they really are. In the discourse of the Alagaddūpama Sutta the Buddha says:
“But, monks, an instructed disciple of the pure ones, taking count of the pure ones, skilled in the Dhamma of the pure ones, well trained in the Dhamma of the pure ones, taking count of the true men, skilled in the Dhamma of the true men, well trained in the Dhamma of the true men, 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 am I not, this is not my self;’ He regards perception as: ‘This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self;’ He regards the habitual tendencies as: ‘These are not mine, this am I not, this is not my self;’ He regards consciousness as: ‘This is not mine, this am I 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 am I not, this is not my self’.”
The better question Buddhists should be asking is not whether or not the Buddha taught a self or ātman, but if the Buddha taught that we are this perishable body made up of five aggregates or not? If we are, in fact, this perishable body wouldn’t the Buddha teach with regard to each aggregate, this aggregate is mine, this aggregate I am, this aggregate is my self? Logically, he would also not teach rebirth or karma. But he taught that we are not this perishable body or aggregate body. He also taught karma and rebirth. In a nutshell, Gautama the Buddha taught after death survival.
The problem of course lies here:
> And also he regards whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognised, reached, looked for, pondered by the mind as: ‘This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self’.”
The materialists use the excuse that "whatever is pondered by the mind" excludes a soul because you can ponder one with your mind. LOL.
Posted by: david b | August 22, 2018 at 04:50 PM