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What did Buddha mean when he said there is no self?
One of the deepest teachings of the Buddha and one of the most misunderstood is the doctrine of no self (anatta). It has to be carefully interpreted. When interpreted incorrectly, it may lead to nihilism — the rejection of all moral principles and individual responsibilities. After all, if the self does not exist, then why should we care about anything? Yet, the proper understanding of anatta is an essential step towards enlightenment.
Two days ago, I had a video conference call with three senior Buddhists. The meeting was called to address the current Coronavirus crisis. We discussed how a Buddhist would respond to this once-in-a-lifetime event? Is there anything in Buddhist teaching that can shed light on this crisis? During the meeting, I made a presentation titled “Coronavirus and Dharma.” I thought it was a perfect time to deepen our understanding of Dependent Origination and introduce Ecodharma. In that presentation, the issue of individual karma versus collective karma came up. I quoted Jim Robbins, who wrote in the New York Times an article titled The Ecology of Disease back in 2002. He said:
“If we fail to understand and take care of the natural world, it can cause a breakdown of these systems and come back to haunt us in ways we know little about. A critical example is a developing model of infectious disease that shows…
