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The Self in the Buddha's Teaching
In two days, the retreat for Vietnamese speakers will begin. Venerable Truyen Tri is preparing for surgery in Paris, with an operation expected to last half a day and a week of rest before returning to Plum Village. Sister Tue Nghiem and lay friend Nancy are taking care of the Venerable; the doctor has said the surgery may be successful.
The teaching of non-self is emphasized as the fundamental foundation of the Buddha’s path, because everyone has a tendency to think there is a fixed self, while in reality there is only interdependent arising between mind and body. To live with the truth of non-self, it is necessary to:
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- Subtly distinguish between “self” (mind) and “belongings of self” (body, liver, stomach, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, consciousness)
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- Practice prostrations with the insight of non-self, contemplating the one who bows, the one who is bowed to, and the nature of emptiness and stillness, so that the act of bowing is no longer based on the foundation of self
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- Practice the koan “Who is the one who recites the Buddha’s name?” or “the sound of one hand clapping” as an invitation to return to the ontological ground of non-self, not just reciting the name or memorizing model answers
Living in non-self helps us to overcome suffering, to sow seeds of love, solidity, and liberation. When we truly understand non-self, all relationships—parent and child, teacher and student, ourselves and the Buddha—become wondrously interbeing, with no longer any distinction between subject and object. Only then can we truly attain insight and happiness.
