Buddha never say there's NO self. He kept quiet in Order to
Reject both extremes. As if you believe in a Permenant Self/soul,
it will lead to selffishness toward others. And if you believe that
that's no Self/soul, people will do what ever they like, example
like killing, stealing, all evil deeds etcs.
What Buddha taught?? He taught NOT self rather than NO self.
There's different between Not and No. NOT self mean it's always
changing and it reject the self nature of a self. Here is a useful
maxim to remember the core concept of Sunyata and Not-self
by:
Not-self Affirms the Existence of Self;
yet Not-self Negates the Self-nature of Self.
fyi:
No-self or Not-self?
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/notself2.html
---
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/dhammananda/115.htm
When we have attained perfection
then we will be able to realize whether there is a soul or not. A
wandering ascetic named Vacchagotta asked the Buddha whether there
was an Atman (self) or not. The story is as follows:
Vacchagotta comes to the Buddha and asks:
'Venerable Gotama, is there an Atman ?
The Buddha is silent.
'Then Venerable Gotama, is there no Atman?
Again the Buddha is silent.
Vacchagotta gets up and goes away.
After the ascetic has left, Ananda asks the Buddha why He did not
answer Vacchagotta's question. The Buddha explains His
position:
'Ananda, when asked by Vacchagotta, the Wanderer: 'Is there a
Self?, if I had answered: 'There is a Self'. Then, Ananda, that
would be siding with those recluses and brahmanas who hold the
eternalist theory (sassata-vada).'
'And Ananda, when asked by the Wanderer: 'Is there no Self?, if I
had answered: 'There is no Self', then that would be siding with
those recluses and brahmanas who hold the annihilationist theory(
uccedavada)'.
'Again, Ananda, when asked by Vacchagotta: 'Is there a Self? If I
had answered: 'There is a Self', would that be in accordance with
my knowledge that all dhammas are without Self?
'Surely not, Sir.'
'And again, Ananda, when asked by the Wanderer: 'Is there no
Self?', if I had answered: 'There is no Self', then that would have
created a greater confusion in the already confused Vacchagotta.
For he would have thought: Formerly indeed I had an Atman(Self),
but now I haven't got one.' (Samyutta Nikaya).
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