[lbo-talk] Re: self (was variety etc.)

Michael Dawson -PSU mdawson at pdx.edu
Fri Mar 12 14:12:43 PST 2004


Self = the perception, interpretation, and enactment of human individuality

The above quality is possessed, of necessity and by definition, by every non-brain-damaged human being who has ever lived. The phenomenon can be stronger or weaker, depending on historical conditions and individual choices, but it is wired into human being.

Brian, you talk like "no-self" means you have no self, no perception, interpretation, and enactment of your individuality, your separateness and partial independence from other people and things. If that's your claim, you are wrong.

If "no-self" simply means that your Buddhism leads you to strive to maximize your understanding and sympathy for other beings and things and your connections to them, then I believe you. Nobody, however, has no self, whether or not they struggle to practice no-self.



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