Lens of Association: Nonself
Lenses, in the context of the Beacons of Everyday Enlightenment represent more specific concepts and practices through which we can understand the rich meaning of each Beacon. There are Primary Lenses, which are the most commonly understood and most robust meditative concepts, and there are Other Lenses which are a collection of other closely related ideas for that Beacon.
 | |
| Lens: Nonself | |
|---|---|
| Beacons | Association |
| Landmarks | Observe Impermanent People |
Nonself is a concept that contends there is no unchanging, permanent self or essence in any phenomenon or being. In practical terms, this means understanding that our identity or "self" is constantly changing and is composed of various components such as our body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. The concept of nonself can be practiced by observing the ever-changing nature of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without clinging to any of them as defining your "self". The objective of realizing nonself is to alleviate suffering, as clinging to a concept of a permanent self can lead to dissatisfaction when that self inevitably changes.
Landmarks
The Realms of Everyday Enlightenment each have some noticeable Landmarks which show the likely alignment someone within that Realm has with each of the Beacons and their various Lenses. These Landmarks are things that need to be noticed and explored in the context of those Lenses and Beacons. And then through working on the Trails and Guides these Landmarks will serve as markers toward the next Realm where new Landmarks await.
Landmarks of Enrollment
Landmark: Observe Impermanent People
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| Landmark: Observe Impermanent People | |
|---|---|
| Beacons | Association |
| Realms | Enrollment |
| Lenses | Nonself |
| Guides | People |
| Trails | Learn About Association |
The Landmark of Observe Impermanent People is a chance to experiment with the idea that there is no permanent, unchanging self.
Review these questions to see if you have fully explored this Landmark and are ready to move on.
Landmark Lookouts:
- Changes in Other People: Can you observe and acknowledge that other people change from year to year, and even more often than that, they are in fact changing every moment?
- The Changing You: Can you see - at least at some level - how "You" (The Self) is a constantly changing concept?
Whenever you're in a group of people, especially if there's a variety of ages...
- Think about who you are in this very moment. Your age, your appearance, your health, your clothing, your hopes, your anxieties. This is "You".
- Look around at all the people. Who are they? What is their age, appearance, health, and everything else?
- Choose a person, whoever you like. Is there anything about them that reminds you of what you used to be like, or what you think you'll be like after some years have passed?
- Think of yourself as a young child. Is that "you" - it couldn't be, they barely resemble anything about you now.
- Think about what you might be like in 10 or 20 or 50 years. What about your older relatives, what are they like? Will you in the future still be the same you of today?
- Think again about who you are in this moment.
- Look around again at all the people. Notice that wherever each of them is going, whatever they're doing, whoever they are Now, that person will be gone forever in 10 years - they would have transformed to their future self.
- And finally, just for a while, realize that each of us is changing each day, each hour, and really each second, and there is no "You" that could last for longer than that.
Landmarks of Engagement
Landmarks for this Realm (Engagement) will be added here when those pages are created.
Landmarks of Enrichment
Landmarks for this Realm (Enrichment) will be added here when those pages are created.
Shadows
The Beacons of Everyday Enlightenment provide powerful guidance through the Realms. The Lenses represent different facets of those Beacons, which provide further focus or illumination of that Beacon. On the other hand, Lenses are also accompanied by two types of Shadows which tend to obscure our journey to Enlightenment. The first kind of Shadows are the Looming Shadows, which are the obvious opposite of a given Lens, and should hopefully be easy to avoid and train against once we understand them. The second kind are the Flickering Shadows, which could be confused with the associated Lenses, because they are quite similar to the Lens, while actually being a harmful or negative counterpart. Both types of Shadows should be understood in the context of the Lens and Beacon, and reviewed periodically to ensure our view is not obscured. Within the Lens of Nonself, we see no unchanging, permanent self.
- Looming Shadow - Essentialism, the belief in a permanent, independent self or soul, directly contradicting the principle of nonself. It is possible to observe Nonself, and then in another moment, be convinced that there is some "self" that will last indefinitely.
- Flickering Shadow - Self-Negation, an unhealthy denial or rejection of oneself, stemming from aversion or misunderstanding, appears like an understanding of nonself but is not.
Resources
- Experience the Truth of No Self - "The teaching of anatta, or nonself, is considered the most liberating tenet of the Buddhist teachings. Describing how we’re bound, fettered, and limited by the sense of ourselves as separate and self-existing, this teaching offers the possibility of unbinding and freeing the heart and mind."