Buddhism “What are you?” “What are you?” “I am awake.”

Buddha ( )

Four Passing Sights Old age Disease Death Monk

Quest for fulfillment Self-indulgence (path of desire) Self-indulgence (path of desire) Asceticism (path of renunciation) Asceticism (path of renunciation)

No Self There is no self to fulfill There is no self to fulfill No-self (anatman, anatta): there is no self No-self (anatman, anatta): there is no self Idea of self —> desire —> suffering Idea of self —> desire —> suffering

Absent self Introspect: what do you see? Introspect: what do you see? Thoughts, feelings, perceptions.... Thoughts, feelings, perceptions.... You don’t find anything else You don’t find anything else You don’t find yourself You don’t find yourself There is no self or soul There is no self or soul A person is just a bundle of thoughts.... A person is just a bundle of thoughts....

Absent Self Self-knowledge? Self-knowledge? Knowledge of others? Knowledge of others? No self: no essence within me to know No self: no essence within me to know The best I can do is understand patterns in bundle of thoughts The best I can do is understand patterns in bundle of thoughts

Buddhaghosa (-400) There are 89 kinds of consciousness There are 89 kinds of consciousness Nothing unifies them Nothing unifies them There are only streams of consciousness There are only streams of consciousness Nothing unites past, present, and future Nothing unites past, present, and future

Buddhaghosa A living being lasts only as long as one thought People, minds, objects are only ways of speaking

People and passengers Jane flies from Austin to Houston and back Jane flies from Austin to Houston and back She is one person She is one person She is two passengers She is two passengers ‘Passenger’ is just a way of counting ‘Passenger’ is just a way of counting Buddhaghosa: every noun is like ‘passenger’ Buddhaghosa: every noun is like ‘passenger’

Questions to King Milinda “there is no ego here to be found” “there is no ego here to be found” “there is no chariot here to be found” “there is no chariot here to be found” No one element is the whole No one element is the whole The combination isn’t the whole; parts could change while object remains the same The combination isn’t the whole; parts could change while object remains the same

Reincarnation? There is no soul to occupy a different mind or body There is no soul to occupy a different mind or body But there is a cycle of birth and death But there is a cycle of birth and death

Reincarnation? There are connections between lives through cause and effect, similarity, etc. We construct people (like “passengers”)— we can do so across bounds of death

Buddhist self

Consciousness-only Vasubandhu’s idealism —> Dharmapala —> Xuanzong ( ) Idealism: Everything depends on mind No-self: There is no mind

Xuanzong’s mind Five senses Five senses Sight Sight Hearing Hearing Touch Touch Taste Taste Smell Smell Sense-center consciousness Sense-center consciousness Thought-center consciousness Thought-center consciousness Storehouse consciousness Storehouse consciousness

Arguments vs. unified self Universal, “extensive as empty space” Perception: How can it be happy or suffer? Mental causation: How can it cause the body to act? Individuation: How can you and I differ?

Arguments vs. unified self Coextensive with the body Coextensive with the body If I gain weight, does my soul expand? If I gain weight, does my soul expand? If I cut my hair, do I lose part of my self? If I cut my hair, do I lose part of my self? Inside the body Inside the body Then the self is neither one nor eternal Then the self is neither one nor eternal

Arguments vs. aggregate self The self is neither one nor eternal The self is neither one nor eternal An aggregate of what? An aggregate of what? Thoughts, feelings, etc.? But these can change while I remain myself Thoughts, feelings, etc.? But these can change while I remain myself Matter? Matter? But thoughts are intentional: they are about things. But thoughts are intentional: they are about things. Matter isn’t about anything. Matter isn’t about anything. So, thoughts aren’t matter. So, thoughts aren’t matter.

David Hume ( )

Hume’s Argument vs. Self Source of idea of self? Source of idea of self? We do not find it in experience We do not find it in experience All identity through change is imposed by us, not there in the world All identity through change is imposed by us, not there in the world

Heraclitus Example: Heraclitus: can’t step in same river twice Example: Heraclitus: can’t step in same river twice Example: ship of Theseus Example: ship of Theseus

Imposed identity Mental states link to other mental states: memory, intention, desire, similarities Mental states link to other mental states: memory, intention, desire, similarities We construct the idea of self We construct the idea of self

Self as Commonwealth Self is not a unified thing— best compared to a commonwealth Questions about identity aren’t about the world, but about language

Buddhist ethics

Four noble truths: 1 Life is painful (dukkha) Life is painful (dukkha) “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of pain: birth is painful, old age is painful, sickness is painful, death is painful, sorrow, lamentation, dejection, and despair are painful. Contact with unpleasant things is painful, not getting what one wishes is painful. In short the five khandhas of grasping are painful.” “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of pain: birth is painful, old age is painful, sickness is painful, death is painful, sorrow, lamentation, dejection, and despair are painful. Contact with unpleasant things is painful, not getting what one wishes is painful. In short the five khandhas of grasping are painful.”

Four Noble Truths: 2 Desire (tanha) causes pain Desire (tanha) causes pain “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the cause of pain: that craving which leads to rebirth, combined with pleasure and lust, finding pleasure here and there, namely, the craving for passion, the craving for existence, the craving for non-existence.” “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the cause of pain: that craving which leads to rebirth, combined with pleasure and lust, finding pleasure here and there, namely, the craving for passion, the craving for existence, the craving for non-existence.”

Four Noble Truths: 3 Eliminating desire can eliminate pain Eliminating desire can eliminate pain “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of pain: the cessation without a remainder of that craving, abandonment, forsaking, release, nonattachment.” “Now this, O monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of pain: the cessation without a remainder of that craving, abandonment, forsaking, release, nonattachment.”

Four Noble Truths: 4 The Eightfold Noble Path (the Middle Way) eliminates desire: Right The Eightfold Noble Path (the Middle Way) eliminates desire: Right Thought Thought Intention Intention Speech Speech Conduct Conduct Livelihood Livelihood Effort Effort Concentration Concentration Meditation Meditation

Right Thought, Intention Right Thought: Dhammapada: “Everything you are is the result of what you have thought.” You must know the Four Noble Truths You must avoid harmful thoughts Right Intention: You must try to eliminate selfish desire

Right Speech, Conduct Right Speech Right Speech Avoid saying harmful things Avoid saying harmful things Right Conduct Right Conduct Avoid harming others Avoid harming others Obey the five restraints Obey the five restraints

Ethical restraints Do not kill Do not kill Do not steal Do not steal Do not lie Do not lie Do not be unchaste Do not be unchaste Do not ingest intoxicants Do not ingest intoxicants

Right Livelihood, Effort Right Livelihood You must enter the right career Avoid what requires you, or even tempts you, to harm others Right Effort You must work constantly to avoid selfish desire

Right Concentration, Meditation Right Concentration Right Concentration You must develop mental powers to avoid desire You must develop mental powers to avoid desire “binding mind to a single spot”, as in Hindu meditation “binding mind to a single spot”, as in Hindu meditation Right Meditation Right Meditation Like Hindu meditation Like Hindu meditation cessation of fluctuations cessation of fluctuations illumination of object as object, empty of what it is illumination of object as object, empty of what it is

Two kinds of Buddhism Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhism Southern Canon, early writings Southern Canon, early writings Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Ideal: arhat Ideal: arhat

Mahayana Buddhism Northern Canon, later writings Northern Canon, later writings China, Korea, Japan China, Korea, Japan Ideal: bodhisattva Ideal: bodhisattva

Two ideals Arhat: saint who attains enlightenment, experiences nirvana. Chief virtue: wisdom Arhat: saint who attains enlightenment, experiences nirvana. Chief virtue: wisdom

Mahayana Ideal Bodhisattva: one who postpones his/her own enlightenment to promote the enlightenment of others. Chief virtue: compassion Bodhisattva: one who postpones his/her own enlightenment to promote the enlightenment of others. Chief virtue: compassion

Six perfections of the bodhisattva Charity Good moral character (concern for others) Patience Energy Deep concentration Wisdom

Arguments for the arhat ideal The goal is to eliminate suffering; the means, enlightenment The goal is to eliminate suffering; the means, enlightenment If bodhisattvas help others to enlightenment, they help them become arhats If bodhisattvas help others to enlightenment, they help them become arhats If it is good to help others to enlightenment, it is because enlightenment is the goal If it is good to help others to enlightenment, it is because enlightenment is the goal

Theravada Temple, Laos

Theravada temple, Burma

Theravada temple, Mandalay

Temples, Bagan, Burma

Theravada temple, Thailand

Arguments for the bodhisattva ideal If your ideal is the arhat, you seek your own enlightenment If your ideal is the arhat, you seek your own enlightenment That is a selfish desire; it leads to suffering That is a selfish desire; it leads to suffering Concern for self presupposes that you have a separate self Concern for self presupposes that you have a separate self Only bodhisattva ideal leads you beyond yourself Only bodhisattva ideal leads you beyond yourself

Mahayana temples

Mahayana Temples