'Sudden amnesia showed me the self is a convenient fiction'

[Nearly Sane]

Excellent thoughtful piece on the self.


https://psyche.co/amp/ideas/sudden-amnesia-showed-me-the-self-is-a-convenient-fiction?__twitter_impression=true

[Sriram]

Talking of the Buddha, many westerners interpret the concept of Anatma (Annata in Pali) as the absence of a Self. But the Buddha himself teaches Karma, rebirth and Nirvana. He himself claims to have been born many times as different Bodhisatvas (in the Mahayana) and is expected to be born as Maitreya in the  future. Dalai Lama claims to be the reincarnation of an earlier Lama. How is all this possible without a Self....?!

https://tsriramrao.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/buddhism-a-synopsis/

We must remember that even amnesia or nothingness (Sunyata) is an experience. Some one experiences it. This happens when the Mind that we use as an interface to interact with the world, gets affected or collapses. The interface disappears because of which a person's experience gets affected.

This does not in any way indicate that there is no Self. It is the Self that experiences the nothingness or the amnesia.

[Nearly Sane]

Talking of the Buddha, many westerners interpret the concept of Anatma (Annata in Pali) as the absence of a Self. But the Buddha himself teaches Karma, rebirth and Nirvana. He himself claims to have been born many times as different Bodhisatvas (in the Mahayana) and is expected to be born as Maitreya in the  future. Dalai Lama claims to be the reincarnation of an earlier Lama. How is all this possible without a Self....?!

https://tsriramrao.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/buddhism-a-synopsis/

We must remember that even amnesia or nothingness (Sunyata) is an experience. Some one experiences it. This happens when the Mind that we use as an interface to interact with the world, gets affected or collapses. The interface disappears because of which a person's experience gets affected.

This does not in any way indicate that there is no Self. It is the Self that experiences the nothingness or the amnesia.

  You are, as so often, starting from your conclusion. You haven't evidenced the self existing outside of mind, you have just asserted it.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Excellent thoughtful piece on the self.


https://psyche.co/amp/ideas/sudden-amnesia-showed-me-the-self-is-a-convenient-fiction?__twitter_impression=true

Who or what then was the me that was shown it was actually a fiction?

[Nearly Sane]

Who or what then was the me that was shown it was actually a fiction?

  Did you read the article? It's fairly clear what is being said there.

And as with Sriram, you are assuming your conclusion.
 

[Walt Zingmatilder]

  Did you read the article? It's fairly clear what is being said there.

Are you clear on what I'm saying?

[Nearly Sane]

Are you clear on what I'm saying?

Yes, as per the bit you edited out of my post in quoting it.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Yes, as per the bit you edited out of my post in quoting it.

Look, we're back back to the If the self is an illusion what is it that is having the illusion.
Therefore anything with the title how I was shown that the self is a COMPLETE illusion is a non starter.

two interesting aspects though...an appeal to Hume's idea that the self is like theatre( Yes but what about the audience, Mr Hume and the loss of realisation it seems of time. Was it Aldous Huxley who said hell and heaven could be our fate if we lose perception of time before we lose perception of depression or joy?

[Nearly Sane]

Look, we're back back to the If the self is an illusion what is it that is having the illusion.
Therefore anything with the title how I was shown that the self is a COMPLETE illusion is a non starter.

two interesting aspects though...an appeal to Hume's idea that the self is like theatre( Yes but what about the audience, Mr Hume and the loss of realisation it seems of time. Was it Aldous Huxley who said hell and heaven could be our fate if we lose perception of time before we lose perception of depression or joy?

Again you are assuming how things are perceived with your conclusion. You don't really understand logical argument.

[Sriram]

The Self has been discussed many times but you still persist in the.... 'Sometimes I don't experience anything, therefore I don't exist'.... argument. That is obviously ridiculous!

Unfortunately, some schools of Buddhism cater to this misconception, which many westerner's clutch at to reinforce their own notions of 'no self' materialism.   

[Nearly Sane]

The Self has been discussed many times but you still persist in the.... 'Sometimes I don't experience anything, therefore I don't exist'.... argument. That is obviously ridiculous!

Unfortunately, some schools of Buddhism cater to this misconception, which many westerner's clutch at to reinforce their own notions of 'no self' materialism.   

I have no idea who the 'you' is here but it's not an argument I've made, nor is an argument I've seen made on here, nor is it the argument in the article. Can you post a link to someone making it?

[SteveH]

Again you are assuming how things are perceived with your conclusion. You don't really understand logical argument.

Your second sentence was an unnecessary insult. You do that a lot, and it's highly off-pissing.