Tilakkhana, Nibbana and anatta
- greenjuice
- Posts: 285
- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:56 pm
Tilakkhana, Nibbana and anatta
It is said that "the All", consisting of five aggregates/ six sense spheres, has three important characteristics: it is impermanent (anicca), suffering (dukha) and not-self (anatta). Nirvana, which is a state of escape from the All, is given the opposite of the two characteristics, it is said to be permanent (nicca) and supreme happiness (param sukham), but not that it is self (atta), or supreme self (param attam). It is a little, well, asymmetrical. Does anyone have any opinion about this? Could the buddhist opinions about the true atta spring from this asymmetry?
- tiltbillings
- Posts: 23046
- Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 9:25 am
Re: Tilakkhana, Nibbana and anatta
The idea of some sort of atta would spring the assumption that nibbana is some how or other a thing. Don't forget that:greenjuice wrote:It is said that "the All", consisting of five aggregates/ six sense spheres, has three important characteristics: it is impermanent (anicca), suffering (dukha) and not-self (anatta). Nirvana, which is a state of escape from the All, is given the opposite of the two characteristics, it is said to be permanent (nicca) and supreme happiness (param sukham), but not that it is self (atta), or supreme self (param attam). It is a little, well, asymmetrical. Does anyone have any opinion about this? Could the buddhist opinions about the true atta spring from this asymmetry?
- Monks, whatever contemplatives or priests who assume in various ways when assuming a self, all assume the five clinging-aggregates, or a certain one of them. SN III 46
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
Re: Tilakkhana, Nibbana and anatta
No reason to think that some sort of symmetry should be found here. Two out of three ain't bad!
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