🌸3.9: The 3 marks of existence (Anatta)

• What is the concept of anatta in Buddhism?

  Anatta means no fixed self or soul
• What do the five aggregates (skandhas) represent in Buddhism?

  They show there is no unchanging self
• How does the story of Nagasena illustrate the concept of anatta?

  Nagasena compares a person to a chariot
• Who was the monk that explained anatta to King Milinda?

  Nagasena
• What analogy does Nagasena use to explain the concept of self?

  The analogy of a chariot
• What does the term 'chariot' refer to in Nagasena's analogy?

  It refers to the parts that make it up
• What are the five aggregates (skandhas) in Buddhism?

  1. Form: Our bodies (e.g., My knee)
  2. Sensation: Our feelings (e.g., My knee hurts)
  3. Perception: Our interpretations (e.g., My knee hurts because I bashed it)
  4. Mental formations: Our thoughts (e.g., I want my knee to stop hurting)
  5. Consciousness: Our awareness (e.g., Awareness of my knee)
• What does the aggregate 'form' refer to?

  It refers to our bodies
• What does the aggregate 'sensation' refer to?

  It refers to our feelings
• What does the aggregate 'perception' refer to?

  It refers to our ways of interpreting things
• What does the aggregate 'mental formations' refer to?

  It refers to our thoughts
• What does the aggregate 'consciousness' refer to?

  It refers to our general awareness of things
• How do the five aggregates illustrate the concept of anatta?

  • They show that the self is not fixed
  • Each aggregate is constantly changing
  • There is no permanent essence in a person