Selections from The Buddhist Bible (pp. 22-41)

22: Four Noble Truths not gained by reasoning, but by direct insight. The Buddha directly experienced the law of conditionality--the principle of interdependent coorigination. A totally relational ontology (theory of being or reality). No independent substances allowed.

23: NIBBANA (Pali) Nirvana means that the substratum (the conditions - craving and attachment) of rebirth are removed.

THE FIVE AGGREGATES (CONSTITUENTS) OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

(SKANDHAS; KHANDHAS, Pali).

1. RUPA - bodily form made up of the four elements. The four elements are (1) Solids (earth); (2) Fluids (water); (3) Heat (fire); (4) Vibrating breath/gas (air). Greek elements in parentheses. Rupa represents the "Function of Identification" and constitutes one's physical identity.

2. VEDANA - feeling (i.e., pleasure, pain, or neither)--gives us, along with (3) SANJNA, basic experience.

3. SANJNA - perception--along with (2), gives us basic experience.

4. SANSKARA - "mental formations," or better: karma formations or dispositions. This is the locus of karma. Kalupahana calls this the "function of individuation" and it constitutes our personal identity.  In some commentaries it is called "prenatal forces," as an indication of this is where our karmic lies and is carried on then to the next life.

5. VIJNANA - consciousness or awareness--the "function of continuity" in our experience. The whole person is sometimes called nama-rupa, with nama including constituents-aggregates 2-5.

The Buddhist view of the self-soul is not dualistic, i.e., the soul vs. the body, with the body playing no role in human personality or dignity. The Buddhist view is a psychophysical unity or monism (Gk. monas = one). This again is similar to the Hebrew somatic view of the soul.

This psychophysical monism is sometimes expressed in the phrase NAMA-RUPA, with nama referring to the four "mental" skandhas as one unified with the body.

THREE BASIC FACTS OF EXISTENCE

(1) All formations are transient (ANICCA Pali; ANITYA, sk.)

(2) All formations are suffering (DUKKHA)

(3) All formations are without Ego-entity (ANATTA Pali, ANATMA sk.)

Buddhist view is roughly parallel to the Hebrew view. Both selves (Hebrew and Buddhist) are fully relational and functional. The Hindu Atman or Jain jiva is neither. Many Christian views of the soul are like the Hindu and the Jain.

The Hebrew SfKANDHAS: (1) nephesh - soul; (2) ruah - spirit; (3) hayyim - life; (4) dam - blood; (5) basar - flesh; (6) leb - heart-mind. (1) and (2) rough equivalent to Buddhist vibrating element. Hindu atman and Gk. psyche or pneuma, all original meanings of "breath" or "wind". (4) one of the Buddhist fluid elements. (5) equivalent to rupa - body; Gk. soma; (6) equivalent to Buddhist disposition/consciousness.

Hebrew, early Greek (before Plato's dualism), Buddhist "somatic" soul.

26: Fifth SKANDHA - consciousness--is dependent on material conditions and sense organs.

Six senses: (1) sight; (2) sound; (3) smell; (4) taste - "tongue consciousness"; (5) touch - "body consciousness" Kinaesthetics - movement included; (6) mind's eye - mind (mano, Latin mens) and ideas. Third eye? No, it's an extra sense.

27: If all things are transient, then nothing can belong to anyone. Our egos are also fleeting and do not belong to us.

Anticipation of the later doctrine of SHUNYATA - emptiness. If all things are transient, then all things are "empty" of substance.

Metaphor of empty, transient bubbles on the River Ganges. But is the river an eternal underlying substance?

28: Samsara has no beginning--will it ever have an end? I.e., will all beings be saved?

29: Three types of craving: sensual, for eternal (substantial) existence, and for temporal happiness.

31 (top): One's karma will ripen--its effects will not be immediately shown?

S.21.10 Last Judgment by fire. Compare with Rev. 21.1 "The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more."

32 (middle): Nirvana as "immediate, visible in this life...." Visible only to the Third Eye? or concentrated mind.

32-33 (Udana VIII 3) "The Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated...." Eternal substance like Hindu Brahman? Without it the created world would not be possible. This is where the Saints go after release? Is this the "absolutistic" interpretation of Nirvana, as Kalupahana calls it?

See Kalupahana (2)'s clarification of this passage (p. 92). He translates the Pali words as "not-born, not-made, not-dispositionally-conditioned." This indicates not an ontological state (=a state of being) of unoriginated or uncreated (that would violate the principle of interdependent cooriginiation), but it simply means that Nirvana is the lack of those conditions that lead to rebirth.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta Wood at Anathapindika's monastery. On that occasion the Lord was instructing ... the bhikkhus with a Dhamma talk connected with Nibbana, and those bhikkhus ... were intent on listening to Dhamma.

Then, on realizing its significance, the Lord uttered on that occasion this inspired utterance:

There is, bhikkhus, a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned. If, bhikkhus, there were no not-born, not-brought-to-being, not-made, not-conditioned, no escape would be discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned. But since there is a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned, therefore an escape is discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned.

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time the Blessed One was instructing urging, rousing, and encouraging the monks with Dhamma-talk concerned with Unbinding. The monks -- receptive, attentive, focusing their entire awareness, lending ear -- listened to the Dhamma.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

There is, monks, an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated. If there were not that unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated is discerned.

33: The Immortal (amata) is found (M.26)? Again this sounds like a substance metaphysics. I can find no commentary by Kalupahana on this passage, but I would guess that he would render this something like "not-living." Or better: rebirthlessness. See Kalup (1), pp.73-74.

UNDER "RIGHT" UNDERSTANDING

35: (M.63) Questions which do not tend to edification.

Asking about the Unborn....

Or when the Saints go....

Illegitimate questions. The Buddha does not know the future.

36: "Right" understanding does not crave for mere views, nor does it fetter itself to Rule and Ritual.

SOTAPANNA - s/he who has entered the stream, and will not return to any lower existence. The stream between Samsara and Nirvana.

SAKADAGAMIN - will return once again

ANAGAMIN - will not return

ARAHAT - the saint "no defiling tendencies." Nirvana with substrate.

37: Mundane "right" understanding vs. ultramundane. The latter only for Sotapanna and higher.

37 (bottom): "The Perfect One is free from any theory...." Buddhism is based on direct knowledge, not theory.

38: (A.III.134) Buddhas plural. First mention of the plurality of Buddhas, a concept worked out in later Buddhism. Again: no ego in any of the constituents or subconstituents of existence.

39: (D.9) He who perceives interdependent coorigination perceives the Truth (Dharma). (A much later sutra--a transitional piece to Mahayana--adds: "and he who perceives the Dharma perceives me.") This is extremely important in deciding how to act. This knowledge of one’s personal history is crucial in the battle to end all craving.

41 (bottom): (A.VIII.12) "I do teach annihilation," but not of all existence but only of greed, anger, and delusion, and annihilation of thoughts about substances and eternal Egos.