Buddhism Annihilationism Essay

In Buddhism, eternalism and annihilationism are both considered heretical beliefs. The concept of each was brought up through the 10 Unanswered Questions, those which the Buddha would not respond to because they violated the core beliefs. The two questions that deal specifically with eternalism and annihilationism are “is the body one thing and the soul another?” and “is the soul the same as the body?” Through the presupposition of the existence of the soul present in both questions, to answer would be to acknowledge the existence of a soul and therefore, the belief in a self. These questions also refused the Doctrine of No-Self, by supporting the idea of eternalism, and the concept of rebirth, by supporting the idea of annihilationism. Buddhism seeks the middle-way between these two extremes that may appear to be contradictory. The Doctrine of No-Self and Dependent Origination are utilized in the explanation of the middle-way and, as a result, of Nagarjuna’s concept of emptiness. When the concept of radical interdependence, exhibited in the Doctrine of Emptiness, is understood then it reveals the understanding of

This arising, that arises. When this is not, that is not. This ceasing, that ceases” (Rahula p53). In a similar way, Nagarjuna’s concept of emptiness shows how conventional and absolute truth are different, but simultaneously the same. The original belief, as displayed in the Doctrine of No-Self, was that dharmas were indivisible pieces of reality and that everything else we experience is made up of those constituent parts. In simplified terms, it was believed that everything could be reduced to the dharmas therefore indicating that conventional, or experienced, truth is empty but the ultimate constituent parts, or absolute truth, are not. The Doctrine of Emptiness however, goes a step further to argue that nothing is stable or fixed and that everything is empty including the