Looking for an actual parallel for anattā

Q & A
1

I have been back at examining the term anattā as it occurs in the Pali and wanting to find a good parallel to compare in the Chinese.

I am finding that a lot of the parallels listed for SN22 are in fact only partial parallels, usually using 無常 (impermanence) where the Pali has anattā and then giving 無常者則是苦，苦者則非我，非我者則非我所。(“That which is impermanent is suffering; that which is suffering is not self; that which is not self is not what belongs to self.”) which as far as I can tell SN22 usually omits.

Can someone point me to some SN/SA (or other Nikaya/Agama) parallels where the same actual tropes are deployed in the same places?

2

I’m not sure what you’re asking for Joe. :slight_smile:
SN 22.15 has:

Mendicants, form is impermanent.
“Rūpaṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ.
What’s impermanent is suffering.
Yadaniccaṁ taṁ dukkhaṁ;
What’s suffering is not-self.
yaṁ dukkhaṁ tadanattā;

Then the Chinese SA 10 has:

Form is impermanent.
色無常。
What’s impermanent is painful, what’s painful is not self, and what’s not self doesn’t belong to self.
無常即苦，苦即非我，非我者即非我所。

If you’re thinking of “What belongs to a self”, MN 43 has it:

‘This is empty of a self or what belongs to a self.’
‘suññamidaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā’ti.

MN 22 and MA 200 has some interesting parallels, but also obvious divergences in the exposition of anatta.

3

What you have provided Dogen! thanks!
I had just become confused by the differing permutations between SA1 and SN12.14

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