What is the Self?

[Spirit of Light]

What is self?
How can there be a self or "I am" when everything in the world is impermanence?
Can you point at what is called self?

 

[wizanda]

What is self?

Self is like a historical timeline, we draw this as a capital 'I' it has a start line, and an end.

If our self was in a different being like a dog, our sense of self would be totally different based on the priorities within that experience.

How can there be a self or "I am" when everything in the world is impermanence?

Self exists to have a sense of being; it is the question what happens when there is no being, who are we?

Can you point at what is called self?

The Maya is full of self orientated beings, this realm serves the desires...

Yet the Way to 0neness, is once we've let go of our own desires.

In my opinion.

 

[Jumi]

An everchanging cloud over a more stable nucleus. Is there permanence in the nucleus? During life at least there seems to be.

 

[sun rise]

What is self?

The temporary self, the ego, is born and dies. The true Self is birthless and deathless. The goal of the path is to become the Self.

 

[Polymath257]

I don't think something has to be absolutely stable to exist. The self exists as a temporary association of the chemicals and structures that make up our brains.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I can oly speak for me, but yet i have not found a permanent self

 

[osgart]

Even though there is a lot of temporal, and everchanging things about me, there are also fixed forever things about me. In all of it i cant escape the self of me.

I suppose sometimes its best to meditate and let go of all my self conceptions and just be. Be and let become without putting a stranglehold on my identity.

Other times its best to regard my self conceptions, and others conceptions of me and see where that leads.

The things i know of my self i do not desire to let go of. It grounds me.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Even though there is a lot of temporal, and everchanging things about me, there are also fixed forever things about me. In all of it i cant escape the self of me.

I suppose sometimes its best to meditate and let go of all my self conceptions and just be. Be and let become without putting a stranglehold on my identity.

Other times its best to regard my self conceptions, and others conceptions of me and see where that leads.

The things i know of my self i do not desire to let go of. It grounds me.

When letting go of the attachments to self one is free

 

[SalixIncendium]

What is self?
How can there be a self or "I am" when everything in the world is impermanence?
Can you point at what is called self?

In my view, there are two selves. There is the self (jiva) which the gross body that exists in maya, that which is governed by ego and ignorance of the Self (Atman) which is one's true nature, the witness...the 'I am'...the observer. The jiva is impermanent, while the Atman is immortal and the same as Brahman.

 

[Vinayaka]

In my view, there are two selves. There is the self (jiva) which the gross body that exists in maya, that which is governed by ego and ignorance of the Self (Atman) which is one's true nature, the witness...the 'I am'...the observer. The jiva is impermanent, while the Atman is immortal and the same as Brahman.

And confusion results when these two get mixed up. Gosh, I wish that there would have been another word for 'Self' when people started using it. That may have cause far less confusion.

 

[SalixIncendium]

And confusion results when these two get mixed up. Gosh, I wish that there would have been another word for 'Self' when people started using it. That may have cause far less confusion.

Yep. I've resorting to capitalizing the word when referencing Atman, but people still get confused which is why I bring the terms Atman and jiva into the fold.

If you want to really see people get confused, bring the 'subtle body' and 'causal body' into the discussion.

 

[ChristineM]

Self is a bunch of perceptions about around 70 or 80 aspects of your own multilevel personality.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yep. I've resorting to capitalizing the word when referencing Atman, but people still get confused which is why I bring the terms Atman and jiva into the fold.

If you want to really see people get confused, bring the 'subtle body' and 'causal body' into the discussion.

Yes, there are strategies, but often we're dealing with outright beginners to Eastern philosophy. And then, despite our best attempts, there are those that are so stuck in the eyeglasses of a certain paradigm, it's difficult for them to go outside that box. Good to try, though, as you never know who will get it and who won't.

Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala, is often thought of as the regrettable founder of neo-Vedanta. Not because of what he said, but because of how folks misinterpreted what he said.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Yes, there are strategies, but often we're dealing with outright beginners to Eastern philosophy. And then, despite our best attempts, there are those that are so stuck in the eyeglasses of a certain paradigm, it's difficult for them to go outside that box. Good to try, though, as you never know who will get it and who won't.

Maybe it's because we have grues and others do not.

Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala, is often thought of as the regrettable founder of neo-Vedanta. Not because of what he said, but because of how folks misinterpreted what he said.

I didn't know that. I still have much to learn about the history and evolution of Hinduism and its philosophies and movements.

 

[Vinayaka]

Maybe it's because we have grues and others do not.

I didn't know that. I still have much to learn about the history and evolution of Hinduism and its philosophies and movements.

Personally, I think Ramana Maharshi is well worth a look into. In Tiruvanamalai, in south India, He's very famous, as is the mountain where his hut was, and the famous large Siva temple below. I was there, and the hotel had his picture above the front counter. We (my daughter and I) ran into some problems, and it definitely seemed like He was looking at me, saying, "Don't worry about it. This is My town. I will take care of you." The ashram published a month called 'The Mountain Path' for years.

Not my grue, but highly respected by us.

 

[crossfire]

What is self?
How can there be a self or "I am" when everything in the world is impermanence?
Can you point at what is called self?

A more practical way to approach Self might be by ruling out what is not-Self, imo. I can't say what it may be or if it may be, but I can rule out what it is not. What you are left with is nebulous, deep, and very difficult to understand. I don't understand it. If it is "The Observer," then it can't be unchanging, because observation/measurement causes change. (I associate "The Observer" with the passive yin aspect of consciousness, and all the stuff that you can observe arising and fading with the yang aspect of consciousness. Just because yin is passive, it does not mean yin is unchanging.) I suspect that this non-static aspect makes it so difficult, if not impossible, to pin down. (Maybe.)

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Srivijaya]

What is self?
How can there be a self or "I am" when everything in the world is impermanence?
Can you point at what is called self?

Primarily a process of acquisition and accumulation. Dynamic and underpinned by the desire to exist/ experience duality. Duality is a prerequisite and an enabler of self + other.

 

[ManSinha]

The self exists as a temporary association of the chemicals and structures that make up our brains

The words of the 9th Master would support that position

 

[ManSinha]

yet i have not found a permanent self

Not sure there is "permanent"

 

[Aupmanyav]

An everchanging cloud over a more stable nucleus. Is there permanence in the nucleus? During life at least there seems to be.

I do not think clouds have a nucleus.

I can oly speak for me, but yet i have not found a permanent self

Abandon the search. it is a waste of time. Even Brahma and Indra could not find it.

I wish that there would have been another word for 'Self' when people started using it.

Why should there be two names for one thing.