Freedom from Iness AN.III.32

Commentary by Madhyama

Introduction

The Buddha expounds the true Dhamma to Sariputta on how one should train oneself. The Exalted One instructed one should train oneself thus:

             One should not entertain any notion of I-making, mine-making
             [This am I not; this does not belong to me; this is not mine] or
             the underlying tendency to conceit [I am better; I am equal; I am
             worse ] either in regard to one’s conscious body or in regard to
             all external objects. 

Notion of I-ness or Mine-ness The notion of I-making and Mine-making is the product of grasping upon the five aggregates as This is I; This is Mine; This belongs to me. The illusive egoistic or selfish self regulates the activities of the five aggregates or the six-sense faculty of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. Gotama Buddha expounds that self-identity or the substantial view of I or Mine is illusionary. They actually do not exist in the ultimate sense. Conventionally, they do exist illusively as appearances which delude the ordinary worldlings. The Exalted One promulgates that the self-identity is superimposed by the false mental conceptualization of the worldlings. It is superimposed by ignorance of the ultimate truth of Non-self or insubstantiality (Anatta). Because of the universal characteristic of Anatta, the law of Dependent Co-arising or Genesis (Paṭiccasamuppāda) operates to conglomerate all the necessary conditions to contigently co-produce the conditioned phenomena which comprise the human personalities and all other external conditioned phenomena or the contigent myriad things in the empirical world. As all conditioned phenomena or contigent beings are insubstantial, they are in the ultimate sense signless, markless or characteristiclessness (animitta). The signs, marks or characteristics of phenomena or myriad things perceivable by us are erroneously designated by the false mental constructs of the deluded worldlings. The worldlings are ontologically committed to signs, marks or characteristics due to ignorance of not perceiving phenomena or myriad things as they truly are. Only the illusive appearances of phenomena or myriad things are perceived by the worldlings. The Reality or the ultimate truth of the multiplicity of the empirical world is not discerned by them. The discourses of the Buddha are orientated toward revealing the illusiveness of multiplicity and penetrating into the true nature of all phenomena or myriad things. The true nature or suchness of all phenomena or myriad things is that they are all dependently co-arisen from all the necessary conditions empty of any permanent substance, such as self, soul or intrinsic nature.

Non-duality

The notion of ‘I’m better’; ‘I’m equal’; ‘I’m worse’ is the view of discrimination between the perceiver and the perceived or simply between the subject and the object, the substance and attribute or the subject and predicate. Comparison arises from the view of duality or dichotomy due to the deluded view of substantiality or ontological commitment to all phenomena or objects. The ultimate truth is actually non-duality or non-discrimination. The perceiver or subject and the perceived or objects are dependently co-arisen. They are one and the same. Whoever perceives non-duality or non-discrimination intuitively apprehends the profound message of the Buddha. The Buddha’s teaching of Non-self (Anatta) and Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda) is the exposition of the notion of non-duality. Whoever perceives non-duality perceives the Buddha. Perceiving the Buddha connotes the discernment of the Way of ultimate Truth.

Conclusion

The four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) can successfully be established if the ultimate truth of non-duality is discerned. If such an approach is made, there exists no distinction between the  Theravāda tradition and Mahāyāna tradition. During the time of the Buddha, there existed no teaching called  Theravāda or Mahāyāna. Discriminating between  Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions amounts to the notion of duality which is opposed by the Buddha as it obstructs self-awakening or the path to Arahantship. Nāgārjuna advises that even a snake expert, who handles a poisonous snake wrongly, may be striken by the snake.