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

ko hi natho paro siyà?” meaning “One is one’s own lord
or refuge; who else can be the lord or refuge”, it is clear
that atta means oneself, not soul. Buddha urges people to
rely on themselves, on their own effort, and not to rely
on others in their spiritual practice.
Another passage which is misinterpreted in the
book by Coomaraswamy and Horner is from the
Mahàparinibbàna Sutta 43 : “Attadãpà viharatha attasaraõà
ana¤¤asaraõà.” The meaning is, “Dwell having yourself
as an island, having yourself as a refuge and not
anyone else as a refuge.” Here also they interpret atta
to mean soul or eternal self. 44a They claim that Buddha
was instructing us to make the soul our island or refuge.
But in the next line, Buddha says, “Dhammadãpà
viharatha dhammasaraõà ana¤¤asaraõà,” which means,
“Dwell having the Dhamma (Buddha’s teachings) as
an island, having the Dhamma as a refuge, nothing
else as a refuge.” Buddha is instructing his followers
to rely on their own effort and on the teachings, especially
as He was soon to be gone from this earth. The
idea of atta as soul is completely foreign to this passage.
Moreover, Buddha went on to say, “How is the monk
to dwell making himself an island?” He then went
on to describe the practice of the four foundations
of mindfulness. The Buddha really meant that one
should make Satipaññhàna meditation (contemplation of
the body, feelings, mind, and dhamma objects) one’s
refuge. There is no mention of soul whatsoever.
Another passage Coomaraswamy and Horner
point to is the story in which Buddha spoke to some
princes. There were thirty princes who were cousins
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