The History of Buddhist Thought c16.40

c16.40

The doctrine of pudgalavāda does not appear to have spread among the Buddhist schools, and the rejection of the doctrine of an ātman (ātmavāda) became more intense with the growth of controversy. Yet the attempt has been made to find an ātman doctrine directly taught by Buddha. In the Vinaya account of the first conversions made by Buddha we are told that he found a party of thirty wealthy young men who had been sporting with their wives in a grove. One of them who had no wife had brought a courtesan, and when they were not noticing she had taken their things and made off. While seeking her they came across Buddha, and asked if he had seen a woman. Buddha replied, “ What do you think, young men, which is better, for you to go in search of a woman, or to go in search of yourselves ? ” “ It is better, Lord, for us to go in search of ourselves (attānam).” The word for “ self ” is the same as the word for “ soul ”, and we are asked to believe that Buddha was advising them to go in search of their souls.