Discourses on Clinging Upon I or Mind
(AN.1.132-133)

K.Wong

In the Discourse of Aṅguttara Nikāya on Clingng upon I or Mind (AN.1.132), Ven. Sāriputta asked Master Gotama Buddha thus :

“It is possible that a Bhikkhu can attain such signless meditation that in this body and mind or in anything external to it, he has no notion of ‘I’ or ‘Mine’?”

In the Discourse of Aṅguttara Nikāya on Clinging to I and Mine (An.1.133), the Buddha responded thus :

 “Then Sāriputta, you must train yourself as follows. In this mind and body or in anything external to it, there is no notion of ‘I’ or ‘Mine’.”

Purport:

The notion of ‘I’ (Ahaṃkāra) or ‘Mine’ (Mamaṃkāra) is the central problem of ignorance (avijjā) in all esoteric religions. It is usually expounded as ‘Self (attā)’ or ‘Ego (Ahaṃkāra)’ in Buddhism. In monotheistic religions, such as Christianity and Islam, it is referred as the ‘Animal self’ or ‘Lower Self’. The Lower or Animal consciousness is the ordinary or mundane consciousness (lokiyacitta) of Man which is sensitive and reactive towards external stimuli. It is so designated in order to differentiate it from the True Self or Higher Self of all human species known generally as Universe Self, Higher or Pure Consciousness. It is also known as Released or Infinite Consciousness which cannot be defiled by any object of perception. The Universal or Higher Self is Original or Innate Nature of all Man. It is known as Ātman or Brahman in Upaniṣads or Kṛṣna Consciousness in Hinduism, Emptiness or Buddha-mind in Mahāyāna Buddhism, Five Aggregates of Non-Grasping or Anattā in Theravāda tradition, and Holy Spirit in Christianity.

Self or Ego is superimposed by the ignorance of the ordinary wordlings (puthujjanas). It does not exist in the first place. It is erroneously conceptualized or falsely, mentally constructed by the ignorant worldlings. When the notion of I or Mine is illusively conceived, there is grasping or clinging upon the Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandhā) of Form (Rūpa), Feelings (Vedanā), Perceptions (Saññā), Volitions (Saṅkhārā) and Consciousness (Viññāṇa). In other words, when an internal or external object is perceived, the ignorant one grasps or clings upon the sign (nimitta) of the object. When there is grasping or clinging (upādāna) upon the object, the mind of the ignorant is defiled by the false mental constructs and mental obsessions. In order to avoid obsessing and defiling the mind, the Buddhist meditator or yogi must not reify any object either internally or externally. To reify an object is to perceive sign or self–nature (sabhāva) of an object. Object reification due to sign perception obsesses and defiles the mind. This causes the accumulation of defilements or cankers. The cankers entangle the worldlings to the bondage of suffering or anguish (dukkha).

The Buddha preached to Sāriputta that it is possible to attain signless meditation (animitta-bhāvanā) if one does not cling or grasp upon the sign of any object perceived either internally or externally. When one does not grasp or cling upon sign of an object, Self or Ego is annihilated. Thus, the false mental constructs and mental obsessions (papañca) cease. With the cessation of false conceptualizations and mental obsession (papañca), the mental volition (saṅkhāra) is appeased (upasamita). The appeasement of mental volition purifies the human consciousness. When the consciousness is purified, the three poisons of life, namely greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha) do not arise. With the destruction of greed,hatred and delusion, the liberated (pamocita) one is absolutely peaceful and harmonious. In turn, he or she helps construct social peace and harmony in all human relations in social intercourses.

The most excellent expedient device or means to have no notion of ‘I’ or ‘Mine’ is to establish the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna) in the practice of mindfulness or self-awareness meditation which produces signless contemplation. Signless contemplation and penetration destroys Self or Ego. All dissimilar Buddhist meditation methods eventually converge to the signless contemplation to realize liberation and attain Nibbāna. Concentration from meditation can only suppress the defilements or cankers temporarily. Only Wisdom of Insight can eliminate the defilements or cankers (āsavas) completely and permanently. The Wisdom (Paññā) developed from discerning intuitively the Insubstantiality of the five aggregates will eradicate the defilements or cankers completely. Having discerned the Insubstantiality of the Five Aggregates, the illusively superimposed self or ego is annihilated. Consequently, the wise is able to perceive the cosmic illusion (māyā) of the multiplicity in terms of Unity governed by the universal Principle of Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda). This is called signless liberation(animitta-vimutti) in Buddhist practice.