You have misunderstandings on the teaching of No-Self, nevertheless v good questions that may represent what many people misunderstood as well.
Originally posted by mahawarrior:
Quote made by AEN in another thread. I'm posting this in a new thread because my comments is another topic altogether.
I first heard the concept of 'no true self' when I was 16 (two years ago) during my dharma lessons (I'm not a Buddhist, but I still attend dharma lessons, even though my knowledge of Buddhism is very basic).
When I first heard this teaching, I was utterly shocked. First, this concept makes obvious and perfect sense to me, but I was surprised that I did not realise this all along. But most importantly, I was shocked at the implication this concept might bring.
It made me 'realised' that there seems to be no purpose to our existence at all. Life seems to be a big joke!
No, No Self does not mean no purpose in life. Because usually 'purpose' are relative, while 'No Self' is talking about the ultimate reality. Ultimate reality does not cancel out relative truths, just as 'No Self' does not mean I can no longer call you mahawarrior.
Anyway, you see, everyone's purpose of life differs from each other. For some people his purpose of life is to help the poor. For some people, it is to benefit others through inventing certain things... I don't know. But the meaning or purpose of life is very diverse and depends on how you see it. Seeing ultimate reality does not mean you can no longer have a purpose in life, it just means your perception of what reality is changes. Enlightenment is just enlightenment to the ultimate reality, it is not about behavior modification -- the way we engage in the relative world may remain the same, or it may change for the better.
But I think ultimately the 'purpose' of life is to realise your true nature.
Why? Because whatever achievements on the level of form is impermanent. They are good, but only wisdom is everlasting. I think it is meaningful for everyone to live a life that is completely blissful. Through dharma we can attain liberation and the highest bliss.
It is inevitable infact to become enlightened, since everyone already has the innate and brightly shining Buddha Nature already complete, though obscured by our dualistic thinking, just like dark clouds osbcuring the sun. The dualistic thinking that obscures our Buddha Nature is what causes all the suffering. Buddha Nature is pure awareness, all our 6 senses are the functions and expression of this pure awareness. But we constantly miss it due to our ignorance.
But since our Buddha Nature is always here, it is present even when we are in hell or in heaven, it is only a matter of time before we realise it... for some people it takes many many lifetimes. But undoubtedly one day they will come to realise it.
I'm unable to put down what I felt or 'realised' in words or speeches. But simply put, 'we' are in constant state of change. The 'I' when I first started writting this sentence is different from the 'I' as I put a full-stop to this sentence. 'I' do not exist the way I thought 'I' had existed.
The 'I' when I first started writting this sentence is different from the 'I' as I put a full-stop to this sentence. -- actually, neither the same nor different, moment to moment thoughts and feelings just arises spontaneously as it is. It is empty of any inherent existence, therefore you can neither say they are same nor different.
Also, when we say 'empty of inherent existence', we must not mistaken it to be 'non-existence'. Emptiness is empty of inherent existence,
non-existence, both existence and non existence, neither existence and non existence. Since a 'self' cannot be found in the first place, how can there be a 'self' that exists, and how can there be a 'self' that does not exist? Reality is just presenting itself spontaneously, naturally, moment to moment... at no point can we ever point to a discrete Self that is inherently existing.
So, when you said that the 'I' that started writing and the 'I' that stopped writing are different, you are already seeing Self as a separate entity, as a doer, with inherent existence. In reality, 'Self' is utterly empty.... it is ungraspable... so there is no self that is 'different' or 'same' -- Emptiness is Not-One, Not-Two. Only moment to moment reality arising out of condition.
It is so subtle that the mind can never grasp it (because it's empty) -- the moment you try to give meaning to it, the moment you have a 'subject' (self), and you look back and interprete it to be your 'past self', you have already missed it... Reality cannot be grasped through chaining, comparing and linking and logical analysis. Reality merely manifest by itself spontaneously, moment to moment, without a doer or agent. For example, thoughts are not 'caused' by a thinker, thought itself arises spontaneously, there is no thinker. (For a very comprehensive explanation on this subject, please read the great article 'Non-Dual Thinking' at
http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=247058)
As a summary, if we were to think that there is an 'I' that has changed or undergone change, then one is still reacting to karmic momentum. In reality, there is no changing 'things' or changing 'self', only timeless Change.Therefore Buddha taught us to be bare in attention, and directly experience the arising and ceasing as it is, and not to entertain conceptual interpretation, linking, chaining and analysis in practise... not to impose our own layer of perception and meaning on moment to moment reality... and not to see things in terms of 'entities'.
Our analytical framework simply cannot understand reality as it is -- it works through chaining, linking, it works through the basic assumption that there is an inherent existence of 'things' and 'self'.
Therefore the real way to understand reality is not through conceptualising, but by directly plunging into moment to moment experience with naked awareness.
So therefore, my existence is a complete joke.
This is your interpretation of it... in actuality it is far more simpler. Life is not a joke, it is just what it is. Moment to moment self just arises spontaneously, arising out of dependent origination, and is empty of inherent existence. Whether you see it or not, it is that way. Most people do not see it... and that's why they undergo a lot of suffering, and is never at rest.
The Buddha taught that there is no point in pondering upon the purpose of our existence. Instead, we should focus on more practical things such as how to end our existence...
I don't think the Buddha said anything about not pondering upon the purpose of our existence. By all means we can make our life a very purposeful one, and from a Buddhist perspective I think we can safely safe a life of compassion, wisdom, and bliss is a life lived worthily.
...so, I exist just so that I can end my suffering and realise that I actually don't truly exist in the first place?
There never was an inherently existing self. But why are you born in this human life? You are born due to dependent origination, due to karma, due to conditionality.
And when there is no self to be found, you can't say there is a 'self' that does not exist either. Because 'self' is not an entity that can be found, so whether the 'self'-entity is existing or not existing is out of question.
Also this goes back to the same question of 'purpose'... which I have discussed earlier on.