No Inner Core: An Introduction to the Doctrine of Anatta - BuddhaNet

far less of an “entity” than the âtman of the
Brahmins. 25
The “Universal Spirit,” “One Mind,” and “Self”
which Blofeld finds within the anattà doctrine are really
an âtman, an atta, of a finer substance, “less of an
entity,” as he says, but nevertheless an âtman. These
ideas of atta are therefore in conflict with the anattà
doctrine of the Buddha. As mentioned before, most
Mahàyànists accept the doctrine of anattà, but later
schools of Mahàyàna, such as the Chinese Zen of
which Blofeld writes, may have drifted into a soul-like
theory.
The controversy over the anattà doctrine seems to
be based on a deep fear of the denial of the existence
of a soul. People are often very attached to their lives,
so they like to believe that there exists something everlasting,
eternal, and permanent inside them. When
someone comes along and tells them that there is
nothing permanent in them, nothing by which they
will continue eternally, such as a soul, they may become
frightened. They wonder what will become of
them in the future – they have the fear of extinction.
Buddha understood this, as we can see in the story of
Vacchagotta, who, like many other people, was frightened
and confused by the anattà doctrine. 26
Vacchagotta was an ascetic who once went to
the Buddha to discuss some important matters. He
asked the Buddha, “Is there atta?” Buddha remained
silent. Vacchagotta then asked, “Is there no atta?” But
Buddha again remained silent. After Vacchagotta went
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