There is no self.

Not Tao, modified 8 Years ago at 12/7/15 4:55 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/7/15 4:54 PM

There is no self.

Posts: 2 Join Date: 12/7/15 Recent Posts
Hi all.  Just wanted to say thank you for your persistence and patience with me over the last few years.  It was instrumental in helping me to realize there is no self, and that is what enlightenment means.  It's the only explanation I have left.  I don't think my personality is well suited for this forum, but I was thinking of you guys the other day and it felt like I had some unfinished business here.  I did some social experementation on here that didn't turn out very well, so I'd like to apologize for stirring the pot and getting carried away.  It helped me learn a few things, but I don't think it helped anyone else much.

Good luck to everyone and I hope you all find what you're looking for. emoticon
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Richard Zen, modified 8 Years ago at 12/7/15 6:00 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/7/15 6:00 PM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 1665 Join Date: 5/18/10 Recent Posts
Not Tao:
Hi all.  Just wanted to say thank you for your persistence and patience with me over the last few years.  It was instrumental in helping me to realize there is no self, and that is what enlightenment means.  It's the only explanation I have left.  I don't think my personality is well suited for this forum, but I was thinking of you guys the other day and it felt like I had some unfinished business here.  I did some social experementation on here that didn't turn out very well, so I'd like to apologize for stirring the pot and getting carried away.  It helped me learn a few things, but I don't think it helped anyone else much.

Good luck to everyone and I hope you all find what you're looking for. emoticon
Now that you see there's no self then please do more social experimentation in being the best "you" you can be with this understanding. There's always a sensation of a "me" operating but you know now that it's just a sensation. Also consciousness just knows and it's interdependent to the known. Thinking, strategizing, knowing about Buddhism is just thinking, strategizing, remembering, knowing etc. Those things will operate less and the brain will have more relief from fight or flight responses over things you can't control. But know you can now condition what you want in your mind according to your idea of skillfulness.

Good luck!
Stuie Charles Law, modified 8 Years ago at 12/8/15 9:51 AM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/8/15 9:51 AM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 94 Join Date: 3/19/15 Recent Posts
mmmmmmmm..........Your back again A!
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Vince, modified 8 Years ago at 12/9/15 1:14 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/9/15 1:14 PM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 82 Join Date: 9/28/14 Recent Posts
Sometimes I get more into "no-self mode" than at others.  One symptom of being in this mode is a lack of the desire to post on forums, discuss my views, or look for acceptance.  None of it seems to matter because I am in a state of recognition of my understanding of no-self.  I guess today is a yes-self day.  emoticon
Oochdd, modified 8 Years ago at 12/9/15 2:27 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/9/15 2:27 PM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 101 Join Date: 12/16/14 Recent Posts
So any updates on your previous insight/strategy of "simply not caring"? How did that turn out? Still working for you?
Eva Nie, modified 8 Years ago at 12/10/15 11:40 AM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/10/15 11:40 AM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 831 Join Date: 3/23/14 Recent Posts
Sometimes people learn the hard way by getting peaved, stomping around, thinking their mood is someone else's fault etc.  They still are learning but it may not be so obvious until way later and what they learn may not be exactly what you thought you were teaching them at the time.  ;-P 
Not Tao, modified 8 Years ago at 12/10/15 9:55 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/10/15 9:47 PM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 2 Join Date: 12/7/15 Recent Posts
Oochdd:
So any updates on your previous insight/strategy of "simply not caring"? How did that turn out? Still working for you?


This actually taught me a lot. The main error I was making was that I was trying to chip all of the "non-self" pieces off of the "true self" piece. The more I chipped away, though, the less self I seemed to have.  [EDIT: When I was stirring up trouble here, I was chipping away at dignity, kindness, and various reservations.  I had this notion of "freedom" as existing outside of feelings and influences.  Later I realuzed there was no such thing as true freedom, which helped me drop this line of effort]  I started to see that the eventual outcome would be being nothing at all, not any kind of true self or core essence. All of the pieces of self are stuck to eachother, they aren't stuck to a center node. So there's no need to chip any of them off, rather, you just need to stop holding them all together. They will still be a clump that is "you" - but this thing won't have any trouble changing and existing in an impermanent world because the pieces can dissolve whenever.

In terms of my orginal goal of being completely without negative emotions - I think this is mostly possible in a conventional way, but I don't think it's the core of Buddhism anymore. I think it's a result, though. There's an idea I've been kicking around I like to call "basic innocence." Because everyone and everything is part of an interdependent dance of influences, and because there is nothing central or solid to cast blame on when wronged or feeling bad, we can say that everyone and everything in the universe is innocent. I just remind mysef of that when I have negative emotions. These always seem to come out of placing blame on myself or on other people or objects. Since none of these things exist like that (as objects) there's nothing I can blame.

So, if anyone liked that idea of not caring - I think this might be a more accurate/useful concept. It isn't that you choose not to care, it's that there is nothing there to care about. There is still suffering, though, so understanding will naturally lead to kindness and compassion when faced with an innocent, yet suffering universe.
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 8 Years ago at 12/13/15 10:13 PM
Created 8 Years ago at 12/13/15 10:13 PM

RE: There is no self.

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Nice. Thanks for your update. Hope all is well.

D

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