Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c10.s1.2

v1.c10.s1.2

What is the Ātman—the basis of the sense of I-ness (Ko'yam ātmā nāmeti yo'haṅkāraviṣayaḥ)? It should be either the skandhas themselves (skandhasvabhāva) or something apart from the skandhas (skandhavyatirikta). That is, the relation between the soul and the skandhas should be either one of identity (ekatva) or difference (anyatva). Both these positions according to Nāgārjuna, are untenable on the ground: