Retro:
Believing in aggregates is a more refined classification than believing in atman
This is indeed very true.
Actually, everyday we are killing ourselves. We are actually putting ourselves deeper and deeper into the mud.
And the way we kill ourselves is very interesting.
We reject the existence of self and atman directly from the point of view of the subject.
But, ironically,
We use the verb to unconsciously reify the existence of self again and again.
We reject the existence of subject, but we unknowingly assert the verb again and again.
Classification of aggregate or classifying the aggregate is actually the act that reify the existence at self. It is the subtle form of saying there is self.
Kirk, actually ask a very interesting question.
He asked how can there is breathing, because Buddha said clearly in the meditation to use breathing. Because of that breathing must exist. Because Buddha clearly said breathing.
In order to solve this issue, we actually must know how to classify the sutras, which one is path, which one is the view.
The Sutta that tell us the view is the teaching of emptiness.
The Sutta that tell us the path is like anapanasatti Sutta, etc.
Because we have believed there is a rabbit horn, Buddha must use our language like to treat this rabbit horn in this way, you meditate this rabbit horn in that way.
If we follow that Buddha prescription, we will then come to the final view, that although Buddha tell me to treat this rabbit horn like this or like that, although Buddha help me by classifying the rabbit horn into this or that, actually the Buddha is using rabbit horn to finally teach me - at the end that rabbit horn is not there.
If Buddha tell me straight away there is no feeling in you, no one will believe him. No one. Because we have this extreme deep of believe there is rabbit horn.
If we are not aware of this:
Classifying something will put you into the danger of asserting self or atman in the indirect and subtle way.
All verbs that we use daily has a very dangerous pitfall in making us to assert the self and atman in the subtlest way.
One of Buddhist monk said this idea very well:
You stand in front of the busy street.
If you keep saying movement, movement, movement, and movement, even you say there is no self, at the end of the day, that repetition movement will make you assert there is self.
It because by saying movement, deep inside you, you assert something move, which only self can move.
You will end up in deep shit - there is self.
Majority of us has a difficulty in reading Suttas. We have this issue.
This Sutta say there is this. That Sutta say there is not that. Whih one is true?
In order to solve that, we must know which one is the practice sutta( which in this case, Buddha must use
There is rabbit horn, because we believe so), and which one is the final view of Buddha (which in this case, the rabbit horn is rejected).
Knowing the dangerous of using verb in reifying the subject or self is extremely important to be realized. Because it is just a
Very subtle form to acknowledge there is atman or self at the end.