불교의 ‘무아(無我)’에 비추어 본 휘트먼의 ‘자아(自我)’

Abstract

In Buddhism, everything does not have its own fixed reality. Because everything is always changing by dint of their innumerable elementary particles working incessantly within themselves. Even though the objects seem to be fixed, they are changing essentially. The particles are called ‘quarks’ in the theory of elementary particles. The quarks, as the ultimate particles of matter, have the electric force and spin, but they can not be observed by physical eyes. Therefore matter is regarded as ‘something empty’ or ‘no-self’ in Buddhism. In other words, matter can be existed only by ‘something empty’[‘no-self’], that is to say, ‘quarks.’ And we can also imagine ‘something empty’ as ‘something infinite,’ for the invisible world belongs to the infinite. In “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman perceived the immortality in human being and every matter, and he regarded not only himself but others as divine. Because, as in his poetry, he beheld God in every object and saw something of God each hour of the twenty-four. Therefore, we can imagine every object has an immortality in the context of its own Godhood. As just as mentioned above, Whitman’s recognition about the self is very similar to the no-self in Buddhism as well. Because they both have a common insight into matter[object] in the light of the being’s immortality. In conclusion, everything[phenomena] is in the absolute equality among themselves, because each matter has its own infinity regardless of its size, quantity, and its durability. Therefore everything, including human being, is one family.