The Chariot Analogy
* philosophy1. A famous analogy from the Buddhist text Milindapanha illustrates Anatta beautifully.
The monk Nagasena is asked by King Milinda to prove his identity. The king asks if Nagasena is his hair, his body, or his consciousness, to which the monk replies no. The king then asks what "Nagasena" is if not these parts.
Nagasena responds by asking the king to explain what a chariot is. Is a chariot the wheels, the axle, the frame, or the reins? The king says no, a chariot is the sum of its parts. Similarly, "Nagasena" is not a separate entity but a convenient label for the collection of the The five skandhas. There is no chariot separate from its components, just as there is no "self" separate from the skandhas.
2. Elsewhere
2.1. References
2.2. In my garden
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