The Dhamma: a rebellion against the body

[Meggers]

Hi. Let’s back you up a little bit. So you are assuming that there is an identity there and the problem is simply to find the true of it? There are suttas that discuss things like identity views. @sujato mentioned one recently that is in MN, which, for the moment, escapes me, but maybe this essay of his will help …

On not-self, existence, and ontological strategies

Note: this essay is an expanded version of an earlier comment; see the comment and subsequent discussion here. It is rather curious that certain commentators, such as Ven Thanissaro, argue that anattā means “not self” rather than “no self”, for the distinction between “not-self” and “no-self” is not found in Pali. Anyway, no knowledgeable translator actually translates anattā as “no self”. Try translating sabbe dhammā anattā as “All things are no self”—it just doesn’t work. It’s a straw man a…