Studies in Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Studies in Indian Philosophy this group of five khandhas has the word viññāņa in place of the list of words given above), and the last mentioned view with the thought · That is mine, I am that, that is my attā'.
To take the last view first. The idea that the world and the atman (=brahman) are the same is found in the Upanişads, and it is possible to find actual verbal echoes of the Upanisads in this passage, 4 e.g. eşa ma ātmā (Chānd. Up. III. 14. 3-4). and yathākratur asmiml loke puruso bhavati tathetaḥ pretya bhavati, sa kratum kurvitu.. etam itaḥ pretyābhisambhavitāsmiti (ibid. III. 14. 1 and 4).
Io contrast to this false view the Buddha states that some one who is cognisant with the ariya-dhama looks at rūpa etc. with the thought : na etam mama n' eso 'ham asmi, na m' eso attā, 5 'That is not mine, I am not that, that is not my attā'. Consequently he is not anxious about something which does not exist.
The Buddha's audience ask if it is possible to be anxious about something which does not exist externally. The Buddha points out that it would be possible for someone to be anxious about an external object which he once possessed but which now no longer existed. He is then asked whether there might be po anxiety about something which did not exist externally. The answer is 'Yes'. The third question is whether there might be anxiety about so : ething which does not exist internally. The Buddha quotes the case of a man who holds the view that the world and the attā are the same, and that after passing away he will become eternal, fixed, etc. He hears the dhamma which is taught for the destruction of such wrong views, and thinks, 'I shall surely be annihilated, I shall surely be destroyed I shall surely not be in the future' (ucchijjissāmi nāma su, vinassissämi nāma su, na su nāma bhavissāmi). His grief for this is grief for something which does not exist internally. Someone who does not hold this view does not think that he will be annihilated when he hears the Buddha's doctrine, and therefore does not grieve for something which does not exist internally.