パーリ学仏教文化学会=SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF PALI AND BUDDHIST CULTURE
出版地
大阪, 日本 [Osaka, Japan]
資料類型
期刊論文=Journal Article
使用語言
日文=Japanese
關鍵詞
非我; 無我; 五蘊; 五取蘊; 有身見
摘要
One of the Buddha’s most important teachings is the Non-self (anātman/anattan) theory. It has been believed that only Buddhism negates the existence or the idea of the Self among all kinds of philosophies and religions in India. But has it been clarified what the Non-self means in the context of Buddhism in the academia? Does Non-self in Buddhism mean that “the Self does not exist?” The Buddha expounds his Non-self theory having clarified what the Self is. He explains that the idea of Self arises from erroneously thinking of the “feeling of me (sakkāya).” Ordinary people naturally feel that there is “me” whenever they think of themselves such as “did I exist in the past?,” “will I exist in the future?” and “do I exist now?.” Such “feelings of me” easily change to the erroneous idea that the “Self exists (sakkāyadiṭṭhi).” Thus, ordinary people argue such as that “I have the Self,” “I do not have the Self,” “I know the Self,” “I do not know the Self,” etc. However, the Buddha discerns that all such ideas on the Self are nothing but the “clinging to one’s own five aggregates (pañcupādānakkhandha),” namely, the craving passions to their own body and four mental activities. Sacred disciples of the Buddha understand that the “feeling of me” is the passion to adhere to the five aggregates. They also understand that the “feeling of me” is equal to the “five clinging aggregates (pañcupādānakkhandha).” Craving (taṇhā) is the arising reason of the “feeling of me” and the extinction of craving means the extinction of the “feeling of me.” That is, when one is enlightened to the highest enlightenment Arhant to whom remains no passion, the “feeling of me” is also thoroughly extinguished. However, what would remain to an Arhant after the “feeling of me,” namely the five clinging aggregates, are extinguished? There remain the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha) without clinging (upādāna) which are the residue of past karmas for an Arhant up to the end of his/her life. An Arhant no more feels of “me,” but he/she lives only with sympathy and compassion to all sentient beings. The Buddhist theory of Non-self does not mean a negation of the idea or existence of the Self but it illuminates that the idea of the Self and even the “feeling of me” are mere illusions which arise from one’s own craving passions to themselves.
