What is meant by “Sabbe Dhamma Anatta”

[TRobinson465]

Oh okay, i get it now that you posted an example. thanks.

Niyama, here: Kamma as a law of nature:

Buddhism teaches that all things, both material and immaterial, are entirely subject to the direction of causes and are interdependent. This natural course of things is called in common terms "the law of nature," and in the Pali language niyama, literally meaning "certainty" or "fixed way," referring to the fact that specific determinants inevitably lead to corresponding results.

The laws of nature, although uniformly based on the principle of causal dependence, can nevertheless be sorted into different modes of relationship. The Buddhist commentaries describe five categories of natural law, or niyama. They are:

1. Utuniyama: the natural law pertaining to physical objects and changes in the natural environment, such as the weather; the way flowers bloom in the day and fold up at night; the way soil, water and nutrients help a tree to grow; and the way things disintegrate and decompose. This perspective emphasizes the changes brought about by heat or temperature.

2. Bijaniyama: the natural law pertaining to heredity, which is best described in the adage, "as the seed, so the fruit."

3. Cittaniyama: the natural law pertaining to the workings of the mind, the process of cognition of sense objects and the mental reactions to them.

4. Kammaniyama: the natural law pertaining to human behavior, the process of the generation of action and its results. In essence, this is summarized in the words, "good deeds bring good results, bad deeds bring bad results."

5. Dhammaniyama: the natural law governing the relationship and interdependence of all things: the way all things arise, exist and then cease. All conditions are subject to change, are in a state of affliction and are not self: this is the Norm.

The first four niyama are contained within, or based on, the fifth one, Dhammaniyama, the Law of Dhamma, or the Law of Nature. It may be questioned why Dhammaniyama, being as it were the totality, is also included within the subdivisions. This is because this fourfold categorization does not cover the entire extent of Dhammaniyama.

From: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/good_evil_beyond.pdf

Very helpful. I appreciate the sources.

[DooDoot]

Yes but i was asking for elaboration, three planes and four planes is sorta vague.

I suggested SN 22.90 (for starters); SN 22.21; MN 115 (two elements); and the terms "kaya sankhara' in MN 44 and 'aayu sankhara' in MN 43. SN 22.21 says each of the five aggregates is a "conditioned" (saṃkhataṃ). SN 22.90 and MN 115 distinguish between the conditioned and unconditioned. MN 44 and MN 43 refer to 'sankhara' that are physical things.

Rūpaṃ kho āvuso channa, aniccaṃ, vedanā aniccā, saññā aniccā, saṃkhārā aniccā, viññāṇaṃ aniccaṃ, rūpaṃ anantā, vedanā anattā, saññā anattā, saṃkhārā anattā, viññāṇaṃ anattā, sabbe saṃkhārā aniccā, sabbe dhammā anattā

Form, friend Channa, is impermanent. Feeling is impermanent. Perception is impermanent. Mental formations (saṃkhārā) are impermanent. Consciousness is impermanent. Form is not-self. Feeling is not-self. Perception is not-self. Mental formations are not-self. Consciousness is not-self. All (sabbe) conditioned things (saṃkhārā) are impermanent (aniccā). All (sabbe) phenomena (dhammā) are not-self (anattā).

SN 22.90

Rūpaṃ kho ānanda, aniccaṃ, saṃkhataṃ paṭiccasamuppannaṃ khayadhammaṃ

Form…feeling…perception…mental formations…consciousness are impermanent, conditioned (saṃkhataṃ), dependently arisen (paṭiccasamuppannaṃ), subject to destruction (khayadhammaṃ)…

SN 22.21

There are these two elements:

Dve imā, ānanda, dhātuyo—

the conditioned element and the unconditioned element.

saṅkhatādhātu, asaṅkhatādhātu.

When a mendicant knows and sees these two elements,

Imā kho, ānanda, dve dhātuyo yato jānāti passati—

MN 115

In-&-out breaths are the body conditioner (kāyasaṅkhāro).

MN 44

The life forces are not the same things as the phenomena that are felt.

Na kho, āvuso, teva āyusaṅkhārā te vedaniyā dhammā.

MN 43

[sentinel]

Yes but i was asking for elaboration, three planes and four planes is sorta vague.

I suggested SN 22.90 (for starters); SN 22.21; MN 115 (two elements); and the terms "kaya sankhara' in MN 44 and 'aayu sankhara' in MN 43. SN 22.21 says each of the five aggregates is a "conditioned" (saṃkhataṃ). SN 22.90 and MN 115 distinguish between the conditioned and unconditioned. MN 44 and MN 43 refer to 'sankhara' that are physical things.

Rūpaṃ kho āvuso channa, aniccaṃ, vedanā aniccā, saññā aniccā, saṃkhārā aniccā, viññāṇaṃ aniccaṃ, rūpaṃ anantā, vedanā anattā, saññā anattā, saṃkhārā anattā, viññāṇaṃ anattā, sabbe saṃkhārā aniccā, sabbe dhammā anattā

Form, friend Channa, is impermanent. Feeling is impermanent. Perception is impermanent. Mental formations (saṃkhārā) are impermanent. Consciousness is impermanent. Form is not-self. Feeling is not-self. Perception is not-self. Mental formations are not-self. Consciousness is not-self. All (sabbe) conditioned things (saṃkhārā) are impermanent (aniccā). All (sabbe) phenomena (dhammā) are not-self (anattā).

SN 22.90

Rūpaṃ kho ānanda, aniccaṃ, saṃkhataṃ paṭiccasamuppannaṃ khayadhammaṃ

Form…feeling…perception…mental formations…consciousness are impermanent, conditioned (saṃkhataṃ), dependently arisen (paṭiccasamuppannaṃ), subject to destruction (khayadhammaṃ)…

SN 22.21

There are these two elements:

Dve imā, ānanda, dhātuyo—

the conditioned element and the unconditioned element.

saṅkhatādhātu, asaṅkhatādhātu.

When a mendicant knows and sees these two elements,

Imā kho, ānanda, dve dhātuyo yato jānāti passati—

MN 115

In-&-out breaths are the body conditioner (kāyasaṅkhāro).

MN 44

The life forces are not the same things as the phenomena that are felt.

Na kho, āvuso, teva āyusaṅkhārā te vedaniyā dhammā.

MN 43

Can you explain Unconditioned element means ?

[auto]

Fruit of your action is experienced when self arises. That action is done unknowingly out of greed, aversion or delusion.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN3_34.html

“Any action performed with greed—born of greed, caused by greed, originating from greed: Wherever one’s selfhood [atta-bhāva] turns up, there that action will ripen. Where that action ripens, there one will experience its fruit, either in this very life that has arisen or further along in the sequence.

the other variant is, there is no self mentioned, so it could be that it is too obvious that you are aware.

“Any action performed with non-greed—born of non-greed, caused by non-greed, originating from non-greed: When greed is gone, that action is thus abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising.

by being aware you are in a moment where greed is gone but the issue is the fruits of your past actions are manifesting themselves to you and you feel urges to act.
Luckily there is an action what can be performed, that is action based on non-greed. So you have to wait it out and have faith and mind(not you) sees unconditional element.
and that unconditional element is what gives you a way to act you will get to know what to do, your act is then based on non-greed.

[eddygan325]

I have read the follwing statement in another Dhamma discussion. To me it appears incorrect.
What are your thoughts?

-------------------------------------------
As we know the word dhamma has multiple meanings. Dhamma in
abhidhamma has analytical meaning. But the word sabbe dhamma anatta
is mostly in the sutta context.

Below is an interesting quote(s)

Subbe dhamma anatta

All compounds are devoid of self.

Some translate the phrase sabbe dhamma literally as "all phenomena"
(both compound and non-compound). This is not true. According to Lord
Buddha's Teaching in the Dhammapada Pali text, as interpreted by the
original arahant commentators and by the most recent translators
(Carter and Palihawadana 1987) 2, the words sabbe dhamma , in this
context, refer only to the Five Aggregates . These are sankhara or
compounds. Thus, the reference excludes pure, non-compound aspects of
nature such as nibbana.
-----------------------

The website below give some explanation for this topic

https://essenceofbuddhism.wordpress.com ... s-no-self/

[Ceisiwr]

…

The argument about the “all” isn’t great. There is a difference between a noun (the All of the Sabba sutta) and a determiner (all things).

[Jack19990101]

At a given moment, discernible movement is anicca, dukkha.
At a given moment, discernible stationary is anatta.

A dhama at certain moment, can be discernible sankhara at another.
One's dhamma can be another's sankhara, and one's sankara can be another's dhamma.

What to be seen as dhamma, what to be seen as sankhara, at a given moment, depends on the cultivation and theme of mindfulness, wisdom.
To a highly developed mind, all is sankhara.

I don't take this pertains to nibbana in mind at all. It is training instruction instead of a grand statement.

[josaphatbarlaam]

I've seen texts that have sabbe sankhara anatta instead. Is there an accessible critical edition? I mean Romanized and that won't break the bank. It could be a variant reading between manuscripts.

[Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta]

...
Nibbana is an unconditioned dhamma, and is included in “sabbe dhamma anatta”.

When it's intended to be excluded, you will instead see "sabbe sankhara" instead of "sabbe dhamma". Therefore, "all compounds are devoid of self" would be "sabbe sankhara anatta". Therefore, they are different in meaning and intent. ...

Awesome stance.

[nirodh27]

I've seen texts that have sabbe sankhara anatta instead. Is there an accessible critical edition? I mean Romanized and that won't break the bank. It could be a variant reading between manuscripts.

Hi josaphatbarlaam,

Can you point me the source of your statement? Which texts? Dhammapada or MN? Others?