V. The Nucleus of Transmigration Is the Substance of Soul of 'No-self'

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V. The Nucleus of Transmigration is the Substance

of Soul of 'No-self'

1. The Doctrine of 'Non-self', Transmigration of 'Non-self',

and Transmigration of 'Subsistent-self'

As we have observed above, Buddha discoursed about 'non-self' for the sentient beings who are living in the phenomenal world to abandon the attachment to self and the selfish idea of ego.

On the other hand, in the Nirvana Sutra, while Buddha was discoursing about the four virtues of nirvana, the Lord expounded on the realm of permanence, not impermanence, the realm of joy without any affliction, not affliction, the realm of unobstructed 'true self', not 'non-self', and the realm of purity of dharma without any defilement, not impurity.

In other words, the Lord Buddha who attained the absolute freedom of nirvana, instructed the sentient beings that there abides the everlasting 'true substance of self'. At the time of the Vulture Peak congregation, the World-honored also preached the sentient beings the existence of the substance of soul through the Buddhist ceremony for the spirit of the deceased.

Now we must discern the deep intent of the Buddha. On the one hand, Buddha expounded about 'non-self' for the sentient beings to abandon the idea of self, that is, the concept of ego as real, and on the other hand, the Lord clearly preached the sentient beings the existence of the substances of soul and self through expedient means.

From such teachings of Buddha, we must understand that the substance of soul is 'my own substance' in the realm of ultimate reality and the main constituent or the nucleus of transmigration and enlightenment. Accordingly, we must know the fact that the doctrine of 'non-self' is a profound teaching of the Buddha. Anyhow, I emphasize again that the doctrine of 'non-self' is the noblest philosophical and religious teachings of Buddhism.

However, the problem is that when the doctrine of 'non-self' allies with transmigration and then comes up with the idea of 'transmigration of non-self', the situation becomes entirely different. In other words, the same word 'non-self' happens to carry entirely different allusion when we just say something like 'the doctrine of non-self' and when we say 'transmigration of non-self'.

Here I am using the expression‎ 'transmigration of non-self' in compliance with the common usage which usually implies "transmigration without its subject, nucleus, or the main constituent." On the other hand, when we say the transmigration of 'subsistent-self (有我)', it means "transmigration with its subject, nucleus, or the main constituent." The proposition of Yeungsan (Vulture Peak) Buddhism is definitely the latter case, the "transmigration of 'subsistent-self' with its subject, nucleus, or the main constituent."

2. The Substance of Soul of 'No-self (非我)' Is the Nucleus

of Transmigration: Transmigration of 'Subsistent-self'

Even when we say transmigration of 'subsistent-self', in actuality, there still remains a doubt about what transmigration exactly is? It is not an easy question. The first problem is that when we say 'subsistent-self', what is the true identity of 'self' that transmigrates?

There must be some kind of explanation about the character of 'self' that transmigrates and how it could be the subject or the main constituent of transmigration. Transmigrating 'self' here means 'no-self (非我)'. Of course, it is not the first time we are discussing about the concept of 'no-self'. I understand that there are some people who say that 'no-self' is more appropriate than 'non-self'.

The reason that they prefer 'no-self' to 'non-self' is perhaps that it is not reasonable to deny the subsistence of myself that truly subsists in the phenomenal world in the broad daylight.

Therefore, I wish to say that there is a little difference between the concept of 'no-self' in the phenomenal world and the concept of 'no-self' that includes the idea of the substance of soul. And so far no one dare to use the word 'transmigration of no-self' in connection with the nucleus or the main constituent of transmigration. Especially, the Yeongsan Buddhism is the first to claim the fact that it is the substance of soul of 'no-self' that transmigrates. The Yeongsan Buddhism officially proclaims this as the orthodox dharma.

Now I am going to investigate closely about the meaning of 'no-self'. We cannot understand the meaning of 'no-self' correctly if we do not think of it in connection with the substance of soul. 'I am' only a bundle of five skandhas in the phenomenal world and will die someday and then disappear from the world. And as it has no substance or true entity, it is only 'no-self (非我)' not 'true-self'.

However, while I am alive, as we have observed in the section of the substance of soul, it is composed of the physical body and four substances of soul (四種靈體). What's more, while the substance of soul of the sentient beings transmigrates for eons of immeasurable time, the non-fundamental natures of stupendous karmic obstructions, the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, one-hundred eight afflictions, the habitual energies or disposition (習氣), the vital energy (氣) and its dregs, etc., stick to it like huge mountains, and such a man is called 'no-self'.

On the other hand, the immaculate substance of our soul free of such non-fundamental nature of things is our everlasting substance of ‘true-self’. When we die, this substance of soul discards the dead body, and then this substance of soul of 'no-self' receives the trial for his karmic deeds and transmigrates in the six realms of karmic existence for the countless lives. Therefore, this substance of soul of 'no-self' is the very subject or main constituent of transmigration.

Now I am going to investigate what kind of subsistence is this substance of soul of 'no-self'. I am also going to solve the question how the substance of soul of the ultimate realm could transmigrate. When I was explaining the substance of soul, I said that the No. 1 substance of soul is the noumenon of man, and this No. 1 substance of soul is the subsistence that existed before transmigration. From this No. 1 substance of soul emerges some kind of cause and then raise the infinitely minute consciousness and thoughts.

Such minute consciousness and thoughts form the karmic power and create No. 2 substance of soul through repetition of the causal origination for eons of immeasurable kalpas. And when the No. 2 substance of soul gradually gets defiled and commit karma, the No. 3 substance of soul arises. Such process of creation of the substances of soul No. 1, 2, and 3 was the beginning of transmigration.

However, such transmigration was at the time of transmigration between the realms of the heavenly realm of arhat and the six heavenly realms of desire back and forth. It was also before the time of the creation of physical body.

The time of the creation of the physical body was when the substance of soul No. 3 got heavily defiled, and the accumulation of such heavy defilement for long created the substance of soul No. 4 and then eventually the physical body.

The human beings who posses the physical body gradually become greedy due to the attachment to their physical body and commit many great sins, and accumulation of such great sins eventually create the hell, hungry ghosts, and animals.

Such was how transmigration in the six realms of karmic existence that we see now has come to exist and human beings began to transmigrate in the six realms of reincarnation. The substance of soul No. 1 is everlasting and could not be defiled. The substance of soul No. 4 perish and then will be recreated in mother's womb. The substances of soul No. 1, 2, and 3 all maintain the eternal power of life in a cluster.

Of course, from the stage of the Pure Land Bodhisattva, the substance of soul separates from each other. However, in the case of Buddha, all the four substances of soul--the No. 1, 2, 3, and 4--could act individually. The No. 2, 3, and 4 substances of soul of the sentient beings are greatly contaminated due to the karmic obstructions, the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, 108 afflictions, the habitual evil energy or disposition, the vital breath and its dregs, etc., created during the passages of hundreds and thousands of their lives, and all these non-fundamental retributions of evil deeds are closely stuck together, which make them even more defiled. And the substance of soul of No. 1 and the defiled substances of soul No. 2 and 3 overlap and become the one unified nucleus of transmigration. However, the important fact is that in the substances of soul No. 1, 2, and 3, the nucleus of transmigration coexist with both natures of the realms of the ultimate reality and the phenomenal world.

As the entirely different natures of the substance of soul coexist making them a complex body, we are capable of both transmigration in the six realms of karmic existence and attaining enlightenment. 'No-self' as the nucleus of transmigration the Buddha discoursed is exactly this non-fundamental defiled substance of soul. Therefore, we could attain enlightenment if we could only remove the non-fundamental parts of the substance of soul completely.

The theory of atman in Hinduism did not know about this kind of substance of soul in detail, and this is the reason that they could not explain the transmigration right to the point.

We should not worry about the theory of everlasting substantial self or ego to be homogeneous to the theory of atman in Hinduism. Instead, we should claim our higher standard of systematic doctrine of the substance of soul and the doctrine of transmigration to show how great is the teachings of Buddha to the whole world.

In addition, we should also establish the teaching system of the orthodox dharma with the law of causation, the Four Noble Truth, the Noble Eightfold Path, Tri-dharma mudra, or the seal of three laws, the doctrine of Buddha-body, the theories of deliverance of the sentient beings and practice to save humanity from their affliction by spreading the truth of life and death to the whole world. Let us be the vanguard in establishing the peace and happiness of the world.