This body not "mine", not "me" and not "myself"...

Figure 1

Figure 2

Personality view or self Identity view (sakkaya-ditthi[sakkaaya-di.t.thi*]) is one of the main fetters that binds us to samsara. It is the first (lower fetter) of the ten fetters. Release from this is the hardest but the most important breakthrough to become a Stream Enterer and finally become a Stream Winner, the first stage of enlightenment. The stream winner also has break two more fetters and they are discussed in detail in other posts. (See labels to learn about fetters/stages of enlighenment/Stream Winner). For the purpose of this post we will mainly focus on the personality view.

There are 4 types of Personality Views that can arise for each of the five aggregates. (Please see Figure 2).

For example for the body (form)

1. The body is "me"

2. "I am" the body

3. The body is in "me"

4. "I am" in the body

The same applies to other four aggregates, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness. Therefore there are twenty types of personality views one could have (4X5=20). Please see Figure 1 and 2.

This view is driven by three fundamental defilements of the mind. Its the craving, conceit and ignorance.

The main three themes that comes up again and agin in the personality view are "mine" (due to craving), this is me (due to conceit) and this is my self (due to ignorance).

There is an Excellent sutta to contemplate and investigate Not-self (Anatta). This is the second disclose of the Buddha after his enlightenment. If one contemplates this sutta mindfully often enough applying to oneself, this can be excellent tool to gain some insight into the true nature of the personality view. This message of Not-self ("Anatta") comes up in many other suttas too and you can read them by clicking on the links given at the end of this post.

Before starting to contemplate on this sutta you need to contemplate on some background information on the five aggregates to gain some insight into how they work. First you need to know is their precursors or their nutriments. After that you need to contemplate on what basis you say that the five aggregates are impermanent. Otherwise the whole exercise may not make much sense.

1. The physical body or form- is made of the four main elements, the solid, liquid, heat and gas . The body is dependent on nutriments, the physical foods both coarse and fine. Without nutriments the body cannot be sustained. We all know that all condition things that are subject to birth, change while existing and cease to exist eventually. The body is no exception. It is not so difficult to see the impermanent nature of the body compared to the other aggregates. We just have be mindful and contemplate.

(Please see the labels to learn more about elements and nutriments)

2. Feeling- Feeling arises dependent on contact as its nutriment. Contact is impermanent as it depends of union of thee which are also impermanent. Something that arises of an impermanent thing cannot be permanent.

Please see the two beautiful similes in this post:

What is impermanence ?

This way we can contemplate on the nutriment and the impermanence of feeling.

3. Perception - same as feeling above.

4. Mental formation - same as feeling above.

5. Consciousness- The Nutriment for is Name-and-Form. From the suttas its not very clear the exact relationship between the two. However it is clearly stated that one cannot survive without the other, suggesting they are co-dependent. My "mind works" model give some some insights to how they may be co-dependent (please see label on the mind works model). To contemplate on impermanence of consciousness you can use same principal as in feeling. When name-and-form is impermanent it is impossible for the consciousness to be permanent.

Now to our main discussion....

To understand the sutta better here I have first extracted the discussion on the body (form) aggregate from the sutta.

Now this is how it goes:

"Bhikkhus, form is not-self. Were form self, then this form would not lead to affliction, and one could have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.' And since form is not-self, so it leads to affliction, and none can have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.'

"Bhikkhus, how do you conceive it: is form permanent or impermanent?" —

"Impermanent, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent painful or pleasant?" — "Painful, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: 'This is mine, this is I, this is my self'"? —

"No, venerable sir."

"So, bhikkhus any kind of form whatever, whether past, future or presently arisen, whether gross or subtle, whether in oneself or external, whether inferior or superior, whether far or near, must with right understanding how it is, be regarded thus: 'This is not mine, this is not I, this is not myself.'

(same applies to feeling, perception, mental formation (translated here as determinations), and consciousness.

And to conclude the sutta Buddha said:

"Bhikkhus, when a noble follower who has heard (the truth) sees thus, he finds estrangement in form, he finds estrangement in feeling, he finds estrangement in perception, he finds estrangement in determinations, he finds estrangement in consciousness.

"When he finds estrangement, passion fades out. With the fading of passion, he is liberated. When liberated, there is knowledge that he is liberated. He understands: 'Birth is exhausted, the holy life has been lived out, what can be done is done, of this there is no more beyond.'"

Please read the full sutta:

Anatta-lakkhana Sutta: The Discourse on the Not-self Characteristic

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.059.nymo.html

To listen to a short talk on the personality view of sakkaya-ditthi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bspOKV8iosY&feature=player_embedded

Other sutta on Anatta:

Girimananda Sutta: To Girimananda ( Anatta used as a meditation subject here)

Nandakovada Sutta: Nandaka's Exhortation (MN 146) [Thanissaro]

Pañcavaggi Sutta: Five Brethren - Access to Insight

Udana Sutta: Exclamation

Sambodhi Sutta: Self-awakening

Ananda Sutta: To Ananda - Access to Insight

Channa Sutta: To Channa - Access to Insight

Maha-punnama Sutta: The Great Full-moon Night Discourse

Three Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha - Access to Insight

Further reading:

No-self or Not-self?

The Not-self Strategy

Meditating on No-Self: A Dhamma Talk (Edited for Bodhi Leaves)

* sakkaya-ditthi [sakkaaya-di.t.thi]:

Self-identification view. The view that mistakenly identifies any of the khandha as "self"; the first of the ten fetters (samyojana). Abandonment of sakkaya-ditthi is one of the hallmarks of stream-entry (see sotapanna).

Like a water bead on a lotus...

Not to gain or loss not to status or honor,

not to praise or blame,

not to pleasure or pain:

everywhere they do not adhere — like a water bead on a lotus.

Everywhere they are happy, the enlightened, everywhere un- defeated.

Godatta

Seven types of individuals ...

Seven types of individuals are to be found existing in the world...

1. An individual sinks down once and stays sunk... is like an individual is endowed with exclusively dark, unskillful qualities.

2. An individual, on coming to the surface, sinks down again... is like an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' But his conviction neither remains nor grows, but simply wanes away.

3. An individual, on coming to the surface, stays there... is like the case where an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' His conviction doesn't wane, but instead develops & remains. His conscience, his concern, his persistence, his discernment don't wane, but instead develop & remain.

4. An individual, on coming to the surface, opens his eyes & looks around... is like an individual, on coming to the surface, open his eyes & look around? There is the case where an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' With the total ending of [the first] three fetters, he becomes a stream-winner, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening.

5. An individual, on coming to the surface, heads across... is like the case where an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' With the total ending of [the first] three fetters, and with the attenuation of passion, aversion, & delusion, he becomes a once-returner, who — on returning only one more time to this world — will make an ending to stress.

6. An individual, on coming to the surface, gains a foothold... is like the case where an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' With the total ending of the five lower fetters, he is due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes], there to be totally unbound (non-returner), never again to return from that world.

7. An individual, on coming to the surface, crosses over, reaches the far shore, stands on high ground, a brahman... is like the case where an individual comes to the surface, [seeing,] 'Conviction in skillful qualities is good, conscience is good, concern is good, persistence is good, discernment with regard to skillful qualities is good.' With the ending of the mental fermentations (taints), he enters & remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having directly known and realized them for himself right in the here & now (arahant).

Note : This is a summary of the sutta. To read the full sutta follow the link below:

Udakupama Sutta-The Water Simile

Offerings to a person like this... bears abundance of fruit.

In a herd of cattle, whether black, white, ruddy, brown,dappled, uniform, or pigeon gray:if a bull is born — tame, enduring, consummate in strength, & swift — people yoke him to burdens, regardless of his color.

In the same way...

Wherever one is born among human beings — noble warriors, priests, merchants, workers, outcastes, or scavengers — if one is tame, with good practices, righteous, consummate in virtue, a speaker of truth, with conscience at heart, onewho's abandoned birth & death, completed the holy lifeput down the burden, done the task fermentation-free* , gone beyond all dhammas, through lack of clinging unbound: offerings to this spotless field bear an abundance of fruit.

Gihi Sutta-The Householder

*enlighten

Bail out this boat...

Monk, bail out this boat.
It will take you lightly when bailed.
Having cut through passion, aversion,
you go from there to Unbinding.

-Dhammapada

"Bailing out the boat" here means- Getting rid of delusion (Ignorance)

Passion- Carving

aversion-Hatred

Unbinding-Enlightenment (Nirvana)

(See labels below for other posts on these topics.)

The Three Urgent Duties

There are three things a farmer should do in a hurry (urgently)

1. get the field well-plowed & well-harrowed.

2. plants the seeds

3. lets in the water & then lets it out.

Then you wait... results will come. You cannot rush it. You will reap the crops in time.

In the same way cultivate sila (morality), samdhi (concentration through meditation), panna (wisdom)... following this path (the noble eightfold path) ...apply the right technique...results will be there in time.

Just read the following sutta:

"There are these three urgent duties of a farming householder. Which three?"There is the case where a farming householder quickly gets his field well-plowed & well-harrowed. Having quickly gotten his field well-plowed & well-harrowed, he quickly plants the seed. Having quickly planted the seed, he quickly lets in the water & then lets it out."These are the three urgent duties of a farming householder. Now, that farming householder does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my crops spring up today, may the grains appear tomorrow, and may they ripen the next day.' But when the time has come, the farming householder's crops spring up, the grains appear, and they ripen."In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. Which three? The undertaking of heightened virtue, the undertaking of heightened mind, the undertaking of heightened discernment. These are the three urgent duties of a monk. Now, that monk does not have the power or might [to say:] 'May my mind be released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance today or tomorrow or the next day.' But when the time has come, his mind is released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance."Thus, monks, you should train yourselves: 'Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened virtue. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened mind. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened discernment.' That's how you should train yourselves."

-AN 3.91Accayika Sutta (Urgent)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.091.than.html

The formula to progress in path of enlightenment

The formula to progress in path of enlightenment

There are four factors. The first two are external factors (you gain from outside). The last two are internal (has to come within you)

1. A Noble Friend (Kalyana Mitta)
2. Listening to Dhamma (Sadhamma Savana)
3. Wise Attention/Mindful reflection (Yoniso manasikara)
4. Practicing Dhamma -Mindfulness, Concentration (Dhammanu Dhamma Patipada)

The noble friend is one you lean true Dhamma (For example, The Four Noble Truths, Five aggregates... and so on). Once Buddha once said to Ven. Ananada "the progress path entirely depends on a true noble friend".

Sutta Reference:

Samyutta Nikaya, Sotapatti Samyuttaya, Sappanna Vaggo

The Fruit of Stream-Entry(Pala Sutta)
“Bhikkus, these four things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the realization of the fruit of stream-entry. What four? Association with superior persons, hearing the true Dhamma, careful attention, practice in accordance with the Dhamma. These four things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the realization of the fruit of stream-entry.”

The Fruit of Once-Returning(Dutiya Sutta)
“Bhikkus, these four things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the realization of the fruit of once-returing. What four? ...(same as above)

The Fruit of Non-returning(Thatiya Sutta)
“Bhikkus, these four things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the realization of the fruit of non-returning. What four? ... (same as above)

The Fruit of Arahantship(Chatutta Sutta)
“Bhikkus, these four things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the realization of the fruit of arahantship. What four? ... (same as above)

(Kindly provided by Mr. Vijitha Jayasinghe)

Who will drink this medicine?

"One who drinks deeply of Buddha's teachings lives happily with a peaceful mind"- Buddha

Buddha can be regarded the greatest physician who lived on earth. He like any other great physician, diagnosed the illness, found the cause for it, explained how to get rid of and then prescribed the medication needed to overcome the illness.

Buddhist teachings are regarded as the "medicine for the mind". In an earlier posting I discussed Buddhism as the ultimate psychotherapy and how Buddhist practices will lead you to attain the ultimate happiness, that the Buddha called the "Bliss of Nirvana". This is the inner happiness of the unconditioned mind. This happiness comes only "within, not without".

In reality we are all "patients" to a certain degree. If you think for a moment we are constantly struggling in this world running away from pain and seeking pleasure. It is the pleasure for our body and our mind. Nobody can honestly say that they were never unhappy, sometime in their lives. We all get sad and feel depressed at certain times. Some times we can get into more serious situations like clinical depression, in our lives. Some people go further down this road and even get suicidal thoughts.

What is the reason for this? It is because we looked for the answer in the wrong place. We look for the answers to our problems in the outside world. We will never think even for a moment that the real answer is within us. The Buddha only directed us to look inside of us. The answer is always there. We only did not see it. Why is that? It is because our minds were already conditioned. This Buddha called "Avijja" in Pali language. In English it is called ignorance or delusion. In this part of the world we may want to call it "stupidity". It sounds like a simple problem but is it very hard to see. That is where the Buddhist teachings and practices come in. Buddhism tells you "how to do it" rather than "what to do". This is the basic difference in the Buddhist teachings compared to other religions. There is only one medicine for the mind to be free from all the suffering and pains. This is "The Four Noble Truths".

Now who will drink it? To explain this I will tell you a metaphor that is applicable today.

Imagine that somebody is gravely sick and is about to die. There are many possible scenarios.

1. The patient is in a place that there is no doctor therefore he dies.

2. The patent does not look for a doctor and he dies.

3. Patient looks for a doctor and he does not find one and he dies.

4. The patient refuses to go see the doctor and he dies.

5. The patent goes to a doctor but he does not get the right medicine and he dies. (In this case the doctor may be sued).

6. Patient finds the doctor and he prescribes the right medicine to save the patients life. He brings it home and does not drink it in time. Why didn't he drink it in time? This is because he refuses to drink the medicine until all his questions are answered. He has many questions like, is the doctor qualified? Is the medicine pure? Which company makes the medicine? Where was the bottle made? And so on. These are irrelevant questions, as his time is running out. He dies before all his questions are answered.

7. Only the wise man finds the doctor, gets the medicine, drinks it in time and gets cured.

In this metaphor the medicine is the Dhamma (Buddhist teachings). The sick man is the ordinary worldly being.

So do you think you are sick ? If the answer is "no" you may be enlightened. You are free from all suffering in this world and beyond. If the answer is "yes" browse this site you will find the medicine. But remember only you can drink it. Nobody can drink it for you or force you to drink.

"Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this Dhamma and Discipline has one taste, taste of liberation"-Paharada Sutta, Buddha

Paharada Sutta

Please see other related posts:

Buddha, The Great Physician

The ultimate-psychotherapy-through-Buddhism

The Practice of Mindfulness -"The four bases of mindfulness"

This is the foundation of mindfulness practice taught by the Buddha, leading to wisdom and ultimate liberation from suffering. This sutta is called the Satipatthana Sutta.

At the end of sutta Buddha said if someone diligently practices this it is possible one to get fully enlightened in seven days.

The Way of Mindfulness-The Satipatthana Sutta