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The Selfless Mind: Personality, Consciousness and Nirvana in Early Buddhism
£44.60
This careful analysis of early Buddhist thought opens out a perspective in which no permanent Self is accepted, but a rich analysis of changing and potent mental processes is developed. It explores issues relating to the not-Self teaching: self-development, moral responsibility, the between-lives period, and the ‘undetermined questions’ on the world, on the ‘life principle’ and on the liberated one after death. It examines the ‘person’ as a flowing continuity centred on consciousness or discernment (vinnana) configured in changing minds-sets (cittas). The resting state of this is seen as ‘brightly shining’ – like the ‘Buddha nature’ of Mahayana thought – so as to represent the potential for Nirvana. Nirvana is then shown to be a state in which consciousness transcends all objects, and thus participates in a timeless, unconditioned realm.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (28 Sept. 1995), Routledge |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 304 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0700703381 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0700703388 |
| Dimensions | 13.79 x 1.75 x 21.59 cm |
by VB
This is quite an academic work but had some useful and inspiring parts in it. I am already a practising Buddhist so found it easy to grasp what he was on about but I’m not sure how you would get on if you didn’t know and understand the Dharma to some extent already. A helpful book if you needed to find references from the Pali Canon to do with ‘no self’.