Dear Tenphel,

I shall be brief, maybe other members can provide more details on this subject, or you may have to take up the study on your own. Brett's reply is helpful.

It is important to note a few things should you decide to pursue further research.

1. All other religions talk about eternalism, and even argue and fight over it. The Buddha dispelled eternalism in any form, however, it does not mean the Buddha supported nihilism. So, Buddhism is not about eternalism nor nihilism, and it is not both at the same time either.

2. The Buddha's teachings talk about Samsara, existence in a time-space construct which we call the world. I had an interesting discussion many years ago with a friend in university about our understanding of the "world", which I summarise as follows:

In the tribal times, the "world" is the tribe, anything else is "unknown". As the tribe became territorial and expanded, the concept of "world" expanded too. And slowly, as cultures interact, and as people and goods moved around, the "world" is no longer a tribe or a nation, but the Earth.

In our scientific age, Science helps us further the knowledge of "our world", namely, the Solar System, the Milky Way, the Universe, even multiverse.

3. If you follow Nina's postings on the Abhidhamma, that is the Theravada's explanation about our experiences, thought processes, etc., all of which points to the notion of anatta. At this point, it is very important to note that there is no pessimism or negativism in anatta. And, there is no way we can reject or deny our experiences, thought processes, etc.

You can also read up explanation by other Buddhist schools and traditions.

4. To fully understand anatta requires at least a good understanding of the framework of the Buddha's teachings, and must include at least the following: Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, and Dependent Origination.

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Gabriel Jaeger wrote:

It seems to me that what Yong Peng cited: permanent independent individualistic identity, would be a kind of definition of "atta". Would exist the pali for this phrase "permanent independent individualistic identity". If yes, is it used to define atta?