Who Identifies with the Aggregates? Philosophical Implications of the Selected Khandha Passages in the Nikāyas
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10127409 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Grzegorz Polak (0000-0001-6424-3253, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 663-685 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-09 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Indian Philosophy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1791 • E-ISSN: 1573-0395 |
| Publisher | Springer Nature (PUBLISHER • SG) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10781-023-09550-8 |
| OpenAlex | W4386569106 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 9 |
In this paper, I discuss some philosophical problems connected with the notion of regarding the aggregates ( khandha ) as self in the Nikāyas. In particular, I focus on the attitude represented by the formula “I am this” ( esohamasmi ) which may be labeled as that of identifying with the aggregates. In the first part of the paper, I point out and analyze certain similes contained in the Nikāyas which may be read as implying the existence of a distinction between the aggregates and the individual who regards them as self. Then, I consider a hypothesis that the aggregates are not objective constituents of a human being but subjectively experienced representational phenomena. I argue that several Nikāya texts imply the existence of important aspects of a human being, in particular cognitive ones, which are not conceptualized in the terms of the five aggregates. I also discuss the possibility of interpreting khandha s as not active in character but as resultant of other cognitive processes. In the last part of the paper I offer a hypothesis that one of the key aspects of regarding the aggregates as self lies in the identification of a human individual with one’s own phenomenal self-representation which results in a mistaken projection of the notions of agency, identity and subjectivity onto something that is inherently devoid of it. I also consider certain parallels between the ideas present in the Nikāyas and the concepts of the modern philosophy of mind
Aesthetics · Agency (philosophy · Character (mathematics · Cognition · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Identification (biology · Identity (music · Parallels · Relation (database · Representation (politics · Subjectivity · Computer Science · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |