Munindra on Anatta

Whatever we see, it is not I, not me, nor a man, not a woman.  In the eye, there is just color.  It arises and passes away.  So who is seeing the object?  There is no seer in the object.  Then how is the object seen?  On account of certain causes.  What are the causes?  Eyes are one cause; they must be intact, in good order.  Second, object or color must come in front of the eyes, must reflect on the retina of the eyes.  Third, there must be light.  Fourth, there must be attention, a mental factor.  If those four causes are present, then there arises a knowing faculty called eye consciousness.  If any one of the causes is missing, there will not be any seeing.  If eyes are blind, no seeing.  If there is no light, no seeing.  If there is no attention, no seeing.  But none of the causes can claim, "I am the seer." They're just constantly arising and passing.  

As soon as it passes away, we say, "I am seeing."  You are not seeing; you are just thinking, "I am seeing."  This is called conditioning.  Because our mind is conditioned, when we hear the sound, we say, "I am hearing." But there is no hearer waiting in the car to hear the sound.  Sound creates a wave, and, when it strikes against the eardrum, ear consciousness is the effect.  Sound is not a man, nor a woman; it is just a sound that arises and passes away.  But, according to our conditioning, we say, "That woman is singing and I am hearing."  But you're not hearing, you are thinking, "I am hearing."  Sound is already heard and gone.  There is no "I" who heard the sound;  it is the world of concept.  Buddha discovered this in the physical level, in the mental level: how everything is happening without an actor, without a doer - empty phenomenon go rolling on.