>You say ‘I am’, but what does the word ‘I’ refer to? According to the Buddhist teaching of no-self, to answer this question correctly is to reach liberation. It is to reach the end of all unhappiness.
Here we explore the Buddha’s teaching of the 5 aggregates (skandhas or khandhas). This teaching is variously called anatman, anatta, no-self, nonself, etc.
The essence of the teaching is that liberation (moksha) and enlightenment (nirvana) come about when one realizes that every model of the self we can have is a wrong model. When one lets go of grasping, of falsely identifying oneself with the contents of experience – only then can one put an end to suffering (dukkha) once and for all.
#philosophy #wisdom #buddhism #existential
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To learn more about the five aggregates as found in the original Buddhist literature, visit: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/khandha.html
For an in-depth study into the Buddhist no-self doctrine, I suggest these two books:
*Identity and Experience by Sue Hamilton (https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Experience-Constitution-According-Buddhism/dp/1898942234)
*Selfless Persons by Steven Collins (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052139726X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1)
Free access to Early Buddhist scripture: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/
