C h a p t e r 3 Atta, anatta and some concepts relating to a tta in the verses of the N ik a y a s 121 Chapter 3 Atta, anatta and some concepts relating to atta in the verses of the Nikayas, ^ The meaning of atta Investigating the usages of atta found in the verses of the Nikayas, I wish to study the meaning of atta and the attitude of the Buddhists towards it. T h e usages of atta are multiple, but I think they can be classified into two groups, viz. (1) r as a personal pronoun, (2) ‘self, the principle of consciousness in me, which w e consider as ourselves w h e n w e introspect ourselves. The second meaning of atta is more important and needs to be examined closely, so I would like to check up the usages of atta as used in this meaning and put them in proper order depending on the types of attitudes towards it. (1) tittbati Yo duddamayo d a m e n a danto Viro santusito vitinnakafikho vijitavi apetalomaharhso Viro so parinibbuto thitatto. (One w h o is difficult to be tamed [but] is restrained with the process of restraining, the Valiant, one w h o is satisfied, one w h o has crossed the doubts, the victorious one, one w h o has set aside horripilation [i.e. fear], is one wh o is calmed and is self- 122 established.) < Therag.8>' (2) dammati U d a k a m hi nayanti nettika, usukara namayanti tejanarh darum namayanti tacchaka attanam damayanti pandita. (Those who make conduits for irrigation lead the water. Arrow-makers straighten the arrows. Carpenters straighten the wood timber. Wise men tame themselves.) < Dhp.80 >“ (3) gopeti Nagaram yatha apaccantaih guttarii santarabahiram evaiii gopetha attanam, khano ve m a upaccaga. (Just as the rampart of a town is guarded firom within and without, guard yourself, do not ma k e the good opportunity pass away.) < Therag. 653> ^ (4) passati Otthapahatamattena attanam pi na passati patthaddhagiva carati, aharh se50^o'ti maniiati. (Only by moving the lips, he does not understand his self, he walks with his neck stiff, and lobours under the conceit that he is better than others.) < Therag. 1074>^ ' Other examples of titthaitioccur in Therag.5, 7; Sn. 215, 328, 370,,477, 519. - Similar examples are abundant. For example: ‘The self-restrained (attadanto) is better and reaches the nibbind (Dhp, 322, 323). Buddha is the self-restrained {sambuddham attadantsim) (Therag.689). Other examples of this word occvu* in Dhp. 9, 104, 159, 160, 305. A n d also, using the words mentioned below, self restraining is taught: saimamay’ attanam (Dhp.25, 380; S a 216, 284; SN. 1-3), susamvutatto (SN.1-3), bhivitattanam (Dhp. 106; Sn. 277; Itiv. 68), yatatto (Sn. 490, 723; Therag. 10; Uda. 1-4). ^ Other examples of titthaitioccvoc in Therag.5, 7; Sn. 215, 328, 370, 477, 519. It is also mentioned that knowing oneself means the mirror of the truth, and that 123 (5) purify himself Tatrabhiratim icchejrya, hitva kame, akincano pariyodapeyya attanaiii cittaklesehi pandito. (Leaving all his pleasure, having no-possession, one should purify himself from the lust of the mind.) < Dhp.88 (6) admonishing against hanti’ Pubbe hanati attanaxti paccha hanati so pare; suhatam hanati attanaiii vitarhseneva pakkhima. (First, he injures his ow n self, and the afterwards, injures others, just as the bird which is injured by the bird-snare, injures his ow n self terribly.) < Therag. 139 >® The verses mentioned above are the main examples on atta. W h a t the passages ma k e clear is that the atta is not an eternal principle, but only a self consciousness which occurs in m i n d w h e n w e think about ourselves. It is impossible to regard these att^ as eternal subjects. These attm are transient, and have both the possibilities i.e. to turn towards worse and to turn towards better. As for the attitude towards the atta in such cases, w e can say ‘dammatr is a basic one, that is, to restrain ourselves controlled. The final end will be to m a k e the self fixed and steady. T he m a n whose self is firmly fixed, i.e. he can observe^himself with the inner and the outer eyes by using this mirror. A n d also in Therag. 51 and Uda. I-IO, one is encouraged to know oneself in the same sense. ^ The same expression is found in Dhp. 165, 239, 388; Sn. 275, 962. ® Other examples of this meaning occur in Dhp. 355, 585; SN. 1-3. And, sentences mentioned below also should be noted: mattanam khanti (Therag. 1173); attanam na tapayeiSnAlb] Therag. 1227; SN. 1-8). 124 composed and calmed is said to be a Buddha.' To make one’s self fixed, what can one do, what should one do? The texts explain this point minutely and concretely thus: They cannot call themselves their o w n selves,** and self is not within their control. To m a k e the present self better, w e have in the first place to kn o w well ourselves,'’ and then w e have to take the dirt therein,i.e. to purify the self” O n e should not injure,'' should not torment one’ self,'^ and should guard the sel£“ W h e n in this w a y the self is fixed, it can well be said that the self is conquered and that one can control one’s self’"' However, when we say to control our selves, both the subject and the object, that is one wh o controls and one w h o is controlled both are our selves. Therefore it must be said that the most rehable thing is our selves. It can be said on the basis of the sentences mentioned above, that attitude towards atta as found in the verses of Nikayas is not negative, and marks a positive attitude of making efforts (moral) to improve our selves’. 3 ^ The meaning of anatta W e shall no w discuss the term ‘anatta in detail. T w o points on anatta need to be noted. The first point is the exact import of the term atta wh e n the ^ Sn. 477; Therag. 5, 7, 8. ® atta hi attano natthi (Dhp. 62). " Therag. 171, 172 Dhp. 165, 239, 388; Sn. 275, 962. “ Dhp. 88. *- Dhp. 355; Sn. 583, 585; Therag. 139; SN. 1-3. Sn.451, 1127; SN. 1-8. '“‘Dhp. 315; Therag. 653, 1005. Dhp. 103. 125 doctrine of anatta is taught. The second point is what the negative particle ‘an ’in anatta means, that is what kind of negation of atta was intended. The first question is sometimes answered by sajdng that the word atta m e a n s eternal existence or eternal principle or Atman as implied in the Upanisadic philosophy. As for the second question, the negative particle ‘a n ’ is interpreted in two ways. The first indicates the absolute negation of any such principle as that of Atman while the second interpretation tends to negate only a given concept of atman. The first interpretation marks absolute negation oi Atman while the second one is only qualified negation.’' W e shall no w inquire into some sentences pertaining to anatta. Anattani attamanarh passa lokam sadevakarh nivittharii namarOpasmirii, 'idam saccan' ti mannati. (See the world along with that of the gods wrongly taking atta into what is not atta, and sticking fast to the na m e and form as the [final] reahty.) <Sn.756>‘® W h a t this verse makes clear at once is idea that even gods consider that which is not atta as atta. This is a qualified negation of atta. Here it is only maintained that those who hold fast to the view that na m e and form are the real nature of atta are mistaken. The atta as such is not negated. Let us examine further a few more instances of the usage of anatta. Consider the Dhp. 238; Sn. 501. PTSD. p.22. This phrase ‘anattaih attaminam passd is translated by Ma x muU e r as ‘seeing the real in the unreal’ (SBE. p. 140), K e n Sakurabe translates the phrase as ‘to think there is self in what is not self, and remsirks that this anatta does not me a n the stage w e must reach or we rely on but means only the thing which is not self (‘A problem on No-self, A annual Report of Otani University, vol. 35, p81, 85). 126 following verses. uddham adho ca sabbadhi vippamutto ayam aham asmi, ti ananupassi, evarh vimutto udatari ogham atinnapubbam apunabbhavaya. (One who is hberated above, below and everywhere does not observe that this is I. The hberated one crosses over the stream which nobody has crossed over so far, an d will not be reborn again.) <Uda. VII-1> Rupam vedayitam saiinam viiinanarh yaiica sankhatam n'eso h a m asmi n'etam me, evarii tattha virajjati. (Material form, feehng, perception, consciousness and dispositions, I a m not any of them, and also each of them is not I. In this way, one is detached from them.) <SN.I.p.ll2> Cittam upatthapetvana ekaggarii susamahitam, paccavekkhatha sahkhare para to na ca attato. (Having m a d e your mind attentive and one-pointed and weU-calmed, look at the conditioned things as extraneous and not forming a part of yourself) <Therig. 177>^'^ Sankhare parato passa, dukkhato ma ca attato.