this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2024
36 points (90.9% liked)

Buddhism

800 readers
1 users here now

A community for Buddhism.

Other subs

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
ComradeMiao@lemmy.world
36
Day 74 'Caught in the Idea of a Self' (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by ahimsabjorn@lemmy.world to c/buddhism@lemmy.world
4 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

74

Caught in the Idea of a Self

WESTERN PSYCHOTHERAPY AIMS at helping create a self that is stable and wholesome. But because psychotherapy in the West is still caught in the idea of self, it can bring about only a little transformation and a little heal-ing; it can't go very far. As long as we are caught in the idea of a separate self, ignorance is still in us. When we see the intimate relationship between what is self and what is not self, ignorance is healed and suffering, anger, jeal-ousy, and fear disappear. If we can practice no-self, we'll be able to go beyond the questions that make people suffer so much.

top 4 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[โ€“] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I think "struggling with the idea of an 'other'" is more accurate to how unhappy people I know frame the narrative.

The focus of their energy is generally on what "everyone else" is doing, and specifically the things they don't agree with.

By focusing on the things they dislike about others it becomes harder for them to accept the ambiguous relationship between "self" and "other".

[โ€“] h3mlocke@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago

I feel called out ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿ™

[โ€“] Jean_Lurk_Picard@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Well said! The idea of "other" is just as limiting as "self". We are all connected. We are all one. At humanity's core and the essence of human consciousness there is no "self" and there is no "other". By understanding this we can heal and begin to realize that everyone is simply trying to be happy and forgiving actions and understanding them becomes much easier. At least this is what I learned from reading Yongey Mingur Rinpoche's teachings. Not saying I am right or wrong just sharing my thoughts.

[โ€“] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 0 points 7 months ago

I agree with you. I haven't read that, but I came to the same "conclusion" while playing Splatoon 3 one night.

The more I look at the world through the lens of a struggle between the reconciliation of a "self" and an "other" the more things make "sense" to me.

It starts to feel like all media is trying to convey the same idea, but there's never a way to be 100% certain that the message is being received as intended. The best we can do is express ourselves as honestly as possible, and do our best to love each other.