Hello Akvan,
I have learned anatta nupassana the way U Pandita teaches this in his book “in this very live, the liberations teachings of the Buddha”, Sayadaw. See pages 293-295. But i did not learn this from him. I also belief, am quit sure, it is Tipitaka proof.
He emphasizes certain things which make much sense to me:
“aniccānupassana-ñāṇa only can occur in the precise moment when one sees the passing away of a phenomenon. In the absence of such immediate seeing, then, it is impossible to understand impermanence”.
In the some way he refers to the other nupassana’s, dukkha and anatta.
Maybe you do not agree with the translation ‘impermanence’ but, i feel, it is very important to understand that …“True insight only occurs in the presence of a nonthinking, bare awareness of the passing away of phenomena in the present moment”.
So insight is not some kind of reasonable conclusion or gut-feeling or sense of understanding that arises after some time thinking or pondering about these concepts anicca, dukkha and anatta. It is an kind of seeing, wisdom or understanding that penetrates in this very moment the nature of phenomena. I think this is very important.
For example, (he explains) when contemplating dukkha one sees the arising and passing away of phenomena and “you will realize that nothing is dependable and there is nothing fixed to cling to. Everything is in flux, and this is unsatisfactory. Phenomena provide no refuge” (U. Pandita)
The fact that “no-refuge” is understood in relation with dukkha-nupassana and not anatta nupassana agrees with Patisambhidamagga.
One can ask oneself…when one sees there is no refuge in samsara, is that a kind nupassana-nana? Is that understanding tilakkhana? I have the impression this is not real insight meditation, but it is a kind of intellectual understanding.
I feel anatta has, like the other concepts of anicca and dhukka different meanings, or levels of understanding. I will give some in the below.
Applying anatta-nupassana on all that arises in the moment in the mind, one sees that there is no self governing these formations. It is a selfless proces. When one continues this practise one can get to see that it is also not a self (I am) who sees, hears, etc.
One can also see anatta nature in material phenomena. For example a rainbow. It just arises because of causes and conditions and it is no entity which came from anywhere when is arose and does not go anywhere when it vanishes. It has no self-nature, it is no entity with wishes.
A book is just a collection of pages which are in turn a collection of molecules which are in turn a collection of atoms, which are in turn etc. Independend of pages there is no book. Independend of molecules no pages etc. So, nothing exist on it’s own accord or has any self-nature, anatta, the absence of an abiding self.
These are also meanings of anatta.
I think it is important that insight-meditation is not the same as pondering, or reasoning or thinking about the meaning of tilakkhana and nana is not the understand which arises based on that thinking etc. but it is the activity which sees the mental and phyiscal formations arise and cease in the moment and at that moment sees the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature.
Siebe