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Basic (early) Buddhism, 2nd Phase
The observations and conclusions of
the Anatta Sutta
On closer observation of
‘I am’ (indeed, of all ‘arisen’ phenomena), the Buddha came to the following
conclusions: 1.
Since he could not control his ‘I’ (or any phenomenon), i.e. do with
it as he wanted (part 1 of the anatta sutta), and therefore suffered, and 2.
since his ‘I’ (and every other phenomenon) was impermanent (and there
was nothing he could do about it), and therefore suffered (part 2 of the
anatta sutta) his experienced ‘I’ (or any
phenomenon) was not his (or its) true (original, permanently ‘own’, proper)
‘I’, hence not-I (to wit,
not-own-‘I’). He therefore recommended detachment (i.e. the elimination of
craving, desire, thirst and so on) from the not-own-’I’ (or any phenomenon),
thereby eliminating (or extinguishing) suffering (Pali: dukkha). And that’s it!
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