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The Early Buddhist answer to “What am I?”
Views of the Self in Philosophical Traditions from Around the World
A central question in philosophy is the nature of the self. Different philosophical traditions have tried to answer the question “What am I?” resulting in a wide variety of conclusions. In this series, I will compare and contrast answers from philosophical traditions around the world.
You can read Part 1 about Upanishadic and Carvak views HERE. They provide a great backdrop for the Buddhist view.
This second article will cover the early Buddhist view of the self developed in contrast to the Upanishadic view and Carvak. We will look at how Buddhist’s views developed in other countries at a later time.
There is No “I” in . . . Anything.
The Buddhist's answer to the question “what am I” starts with the use of the word “I”. They claim that in using the word “I”, other views such as the Upanishadic and the Carvaka, have falsely assumed that there is something to which “I” refers.
