1 00:00:00,264 --> 00:00:01,995 Buddhism says the self does not exist 2 00:00:02,064 --> 00:00:03,714 Because it cannot be found in the brain 3 00:00:03,984 --> 00:00:05,995 Previously we explored emptiness in Buddhism 4 00:00:06,144 --> 00:00:07,743 Emptiness does not mean nothing exists 5 00:00:07,743 --> 00:00:10,102 It means all existence depends on conditions 6 00:00:10,103 --> 00:00:10,695 And keeps changing 7 00:00:10,944 --> 00:00:12,755 Without an independent essence 8 00:00:13,023 --> 00:00:15,595 Today we will take that logic a step further 9 00:00:15,624 --> 00:00:18,475 Into territory that makes everyone uncomfortable 10 00:00:18,903 --> 00:00:22,022 If nothing has an independent essence 11 00:00:22,024 --> 00:00:22,655 What about you 12 00:00:23,143 --> 00:00:24,414 That self you think is most real 13 00:00:24,664 --> 00:00:25,542 Most certain 14 00:00:25,544 --> 00:00:28,074 The one that has been there since childhood 15 00:00:28,263 --> 00:00:29,894 Does it have an independent essence 16 00:00:30,824 --> 00:00:31,774 The Buddha answered 17 00:00:32,223 --> 00:00:32,914 No 18 00:00:33,264 --> 00:00:35,994 This is nonself one of the Three Dharma Seals 19 00:00:36,431 --> 00:00:36,742 Hello 20 00:00:37,111 --> 00:00:37,581 Everyone 21 00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:38,962 I am Leo Wang 22 00:00:39,270 --> 00:00:39,661 Nonself 23 00:00:40,151 --> 00:00:41,882 Is called anattā in Pali 24 00:00:42,071 --> 00:00:43,602 And anātman in Sanskrit 25 00:00:43,831 --> 00:00:46,922 This may be the most counterintuitive idea in Buddhism 26 00:00:46,990 --> 00:00:47,962 Bar none 27 00:00:48,270 --> 00:00:50,870 You can accept that a flower arises from conditions 28 00:00:50,871 --> 00:00:53,362 You can accept that a table arises from conditions 29 00:00:53,390 --> 00:00:56,201 But accepting that you do too is much harder 30 00:00:56,270 --> 00:00:58,801 Because the self is your last psychological defense 31 00:00:58,910 --> 00:01:00,581 If even the self is not real 32 00:01:00,670 --> 00:01:01,581 Then who is thinking 33 00:01:01,871 --> 00:01:02,621 Who is feeling 34 00:01:03,030 --> 00:01:04,142 Who is listening to this video 35 00:01:04,990 --> 00:01:05,382 Take your time 36 00:01:05,751 --> 00:01:06,921 Let us unpack it slowly 37 00:01:07,700 --> 00:01:10,512 The Buddha argued for nonself with great precision 38 00:01:10,821 --> 00:01:13,471 He did not simply deny the self and ask for faith 39 00:01:13,860 --> 00:01:15,551 He used a process of elimination 40 00:01:15,821 --> 00:01:16,131 He said 41 00:01:16,541 --> 00:01:17,860 You believe there is a self 42 00:01:17,860 --> 00:01:18,051 All right 43 00:01:18,381 --> 00:01:20,551 Let us try to find it 44 00:01:20,860 --> 00:01:24,619 He divided our whole experience of body and mind into five aspects 45 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:25,592 Called the five aggregates 46 00:01:26,230 --> 00:01:26,661 The first 47 00:01:27,150 --> 00:01:27,881 The aggregate of form 48 00:01:27,950 --> 00:01:28,861 Is your body 49 00:01:29,111 --> 00:01:30,361 Your physical form 50 00:01:30,670 --> 00:01:31,141 The second 51 00:01:31,510 --> 00:01:31,941 The aggregate of feeling 52 00:01:32,271 --> 00:01:33,482 Is what you feel 53 00:01:33,670 --> 00:01:34,102 Pleasant 54 00:01:34,310 --> 00:01:34,742 Unpleasant 55 00:01:35,071 --> 00:01:36,842 Or neither pleasant nor unpleasant 56 00:01:37,071 --> 00:01:37,622 The third 57 00:01:38,030 --> 00:01:38,462 The aggregate of perception 58 00:01:38,831 --> 00:01:40,801 Is your perceptions and concepts 59 00:01:40,870 --> 00:01:42,182 Recognizing this as a flower 60 00:01:42,551 --> 00:01:43,562 And that as a face 61 00:01:43,790 --> 00:01:44,342 The fourth 62 00:01:44,670 --> 00:01:45,102 The aggregate of mental formations 63 00:01:45,471 --> 00:01:47,030 Is your volitional activity 64 00:01:47,030 --> 00:01:47,989 Your decisions 65 00:01:47,991 --> 00:01:49,021 Your emotional reactions 66 00:01:49,271 --> 00:01:50,682 Your habitual patterns 67 00:01:50,950 --> 00:01:51,462 The fifth 68 00:01:51,870 --> 00:01:52,549 The aggregate of consciousness 69 00:01:52,551 --> 00:01:53,462 Is your consciousness 70 00:01:53,670 --> 00:01:55,081 Your awareness itself 71 00:01:55,798 --> 00:01:57,810 Then the Buddha questioned each in turn 72 00:01:58,239 --> 00:01:59,349 Is your body the self 73 00:01:59,959 --> 00:02:01,929 Your body is always changing 74 00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:05,289 Your body at three and your body now 75 00:02:05,358 --> 00:02:09,009 Have changed enormously inside and out 76 00:02:09,519 --> 00:02:13,210 Many believe every cell is replaced every seven years 77 00:02:13,519 --> 00:02:16,169 But that is an oversimplification 78 00:02:16,318 --> 00:02:19,169 Different tissues renew at very different rates 79 00:02:19,318 --> 00:02:22,090 Your intestinal lining renews in days 80 00:02:22,278 --> 00:02:27,129 But most cortical neurons have never been replaced since birth 81 00:02:27,399 --> 00:02:28,557 So strictly speaking 82 00:02:28,558 --> 00:02:30,597 Your body is neither entirely new 83 00:02:30,598 --> 00:02:32,329 Nor completely unchanged 84 00:02:32,718 --> 00:02:35,490 It is a dynamic system that keeps renewing itself 85 00:02:36,278 --> 00:02:37,690 If the body is the self 86 00:02:37,718 --> 00:02:39,638 Then in this constantly changing system 87 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:41,509 Which state is the real you 88 00:02:42,677 --> 00:02:44,308 Are your feelings the self 89 00:02:44,916 --> 00:02:47,088 Your feelings change every second 90 00:02:47,517 --> 00:02:48,788 One moment you are happy 91 00:02:49,237 --> 00:02:50,727 Now you are anxious 92 00:02:50,837 --> 00:02:52,368 The next moment you are calm 93 00:02:52,636 --> 00:02:54,167 If feelings are the self 94 00:02:54,196 --> 00:02:57,007 Then you become a different person every second 95 00:02:57,316 --> 00:02:58,788 Is your perception the self 96 00:02:59,237 --> 00:03:00,748 Is your will the self 97 00:03:01,316 --> 00:03:02,748 Is your consciousness the self 98 00:03:03,356 --> 00:03:06,968 The Buddha asked the same question of each aggregate 99 00:03:07,156 --> 00:03:08,648 The conclusion was the same 100 00:03:08,796 --> 00:03:10,547 Every aggregate is impermanent 101 00:03:10,837 --> 00:03:11,715 Changing 102 00:03:11,717 --> 00:03:12,887 Dependent on conditions 103 00:03:12,957 --> 00:03:17,226 None is the eternal unchanging self you imagine 104 00:03:17,655 --> 00:03:20,626 There is a famous analogy for this argument 105 00:03:20,975 --> 00:03:23,147 In the Questions of King Milinda 106 00:03:23,336 --> 00:03:26,187 The Greek king Milinda asks the monk Nagasena 107 00:03:26,375 --> 00:03:27,126 You are called Nagasena 108 00:03:27,495 --> 00:03:28,846 But who exactly is Nagasena 109 00:03:29,456 --> 00:03:30,407 Is it your hair 110 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:31,641 No 111 00:03:31,775 --> 00:03:32,767 Is it your skin 112 00:03:33,181 --> 00:03:33,981 No 113 00:03:34,056 --> 00:03:35,006 Is it your bones 114 00:03:35,380 --> 00:03:36,181 No 115 00:03:36,255 --> 00:03:37,247 Is it your feelings 116 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:38,421 No 117 00:03:38,495 --> 00:03:39,446 Is it your consciousness 118 00:03:39,820 --> 00:03:40,620 No 119 00:03:40,655 --> 00:03:41,606 Then who exactly are you 120 00:03:42,663 --> 00:03:44,094 Nagasena asks King Milinda in return 121 00:03:44,582 --> 00:03:45,234 Your Majesty 122 00:03:45,262 --> 00:03:46,653 You arrived by chariot did you not 123 00:03:47,183 --> 00:03:47,734 Then tell me 124 00:03:48,063 --> 00:03:48,933 What is a chariot 125 00:03:49,463 --> 00:03:50,453 Are the wheels the chariot 126 00:03:50,867 --> 00:03:51,667 No 127 00:03:52,063 --> 00:03:53,134 Is the axle the chariot 128 00:03:53,528 --> 00:03:54,327 No 129 00:03:54,623 --> 00:03:55,694 Is the carriage body the chariot 130 00:03:56,167 --> 00:03:56,968 No 131 00:03:57,223 --> 00:03:58,754 Take all the parts apart 132 00:03:58,903 --> 00:04:00,873 And no single part is the chariot 133 00:04:01,223 --> 00:04:03,474 But you cannot say the chariot does not exist 134 00:04:03,663 --> 00:04:05,474 You really did arrive in it 135 00:04:05,862 --> 00:04:06,694 What is a chariot 136 00:04:07,142 --> 00:04:09,873 It is what all the parts produce 137 00:04:09,943 --> 00:04:11,433 When arranged in a particular way 138 00:04:11,503 --> 00:04:13,634 A functioning whole 139 00:04:14,022 --> 00:04:16,393 The chariot is not inside any one part 140 00:04:16,582 --> 00:04:18,873 But neither is it outside the parts 141 00:04:19,222 --> 00:04:21,753 It is a process that depends on conditions 142 00:04:21,822 --> 00:04:24,113 Not an independently existing entity 143 00:04:24,747 --> 00:04:25,838 The same goes for the self 144 00:04:25,906 --> 00:04:28,917 You cannot find it in any of the five aggregates 145 00:04:28,987 --> 00:04:30,757 But you cannot say you do not exist 146 00:04:31,026 --> 00:04:32,138 You really are thinking 147 00:04:32,347 --> 00:04:33,225 Feeling 148 00:04:33,227 --> 00:04:34,437 And listening to this video 149 00:04:34,706 --> 00:04:37,225 But this self is not an eternal soul 150 00:04:37,227 --> 00:04:38,917 Nor a fixed entity 151 00:04:38,987 --> 00:04:41,345 It arises when the five aggregates 152 00:04:41,347 --> 00:04:42,338 Come together in a particular way 153 00:04:42,627 --> 00:04:44,357 As an emergent process 154 00:04:44,906 --> 00:04:46,538 Did you catch the word emergence 155 00:04:47,066 --> 00:04:49,018 If you watched my episode on emergence 156 00:04:49,307 --> 00:04:50,237 You will know 157 00:04:50,347 --> 00:04:53,038 It is a core feature of complex systems 158 00:04:53,427 --> 00:04:56,398 Simple components connect in particular ways 159 00:04:56,547 --> 00:05:01,557 At a critical point new properties suddenly arise that no component has 160 00:05:02,026 --> 00:05:03,677 Ants know nothing about architecture 161 00:05:03,787 --> 00:05:06,437 But colonies can build intricate nests 162 00:05:07,266 --> 00:05:08,718 Neurons cannot think 163 00:05:08,787 --> 00:05:11,266 But connect tens of billions of them 164 00:05:11,266 --> 00:05:12,718 And thought emerges 165 00:05:12,906 --> 00:05:13,098 The self 166 00:05:13,586 --> 00:05:15,158 Is an emergent phenomenon 167 00:05:15,631 --> 00:05:16,387 All right 168 00:05:16,387 --> 00:05:20,597 Let us jump from 2500 years ago to modern neuroscience labs 169 00:05:20,787 --> 00:05:24,518 And see what scientists found while searching for the self in the brain 170 00:05:25,027 --> 00:05:26,058 The first key finding 171 00:05:26,467 --> 00:05:27,518 Split brain experiments 172 00:05:27,986 --> 00:05:29,717 Beginning in the 1960s 173 00:05:29,866 --> 00:05:31,905 Neuroscientists Roger Sperry 174 00:05:31,907 --> 00:05:33,518 And Michael Gazzaniga 175 00:05:33,546 --> 00:05:35,957 Conducted a famous series of split brain experiments 176 00:05:36,347 --> 00:05:38,226 Some patients with severe epilepsy 177 00:05:38,227 --> 00:05:41,345 Need the corpus callosum connecting their brain hemispheres cut 178 00:05:41,347 --> 00:05:42,518 To control seizures 179 00:05:42,866 --> 00:05:43,498 After surgery 180 00:05:43,827 --> 00:05:45,585 Their left and right hemispheres 181 00:05:45,587 --> 00:05:47,825 Became two relatively independent 182 00:05:47,827 --> 00:05:49,238 Information processing systems 183 00:05:49,707 --> 00:05:51,797 The experiments revealed something astonishing 184 00:05:52,546 --> 00:05:55,157 When researchers gave information only to the right hemisphere 185 00:05:55,267 --> 00:05:57,277 The left hemisphere had no idea what had happened 186 00:05:57,467 --> 00:06:00,238 But when the right hemisphere drove a patient to act 187 00:06:00,306 --> 00:06:02,198 And you asked why 188 00:06:02,267 --> 00:06:05,147 The left hemisphere instantly invented a plausible reason 189 00:06:05,535 --> 00:06:07,107 In one classic example 190 00:06:07,176 --> 00:06:10,706 Researchers showed the right hemisphere a snowy scene 191 00:06:10,895 --> 00:06:13,066 And the left hemisphere a chicken claw 192 00:06:13,455 --> 00:06:16,987 Then asked the patient to choose related pictures 193 00:06:17,616 --> 00:06:19,347 The right hand pointed to a chicken 194 00:06:19,535 --> 00:06:21,427 The left hand pointed to a shovel 195 00:06:21,816 --> 00:06:23,366 Asked why he chose the shovel 196 00:06:23,855 --> 00:06:24,206 He said 197 00:06:24,616 --> 00:06:24,806 Oh 198 00:06:25,256 --> 00:06:27,347 The shovel is for cleaning the chicken coop 199 00:06:27,655 --> 00:06:29,706 He had no idea his left hand 200 00:06:29,736 --> 00:06:31,366 Had responded to the snow seen by his right hemisphere 201 00:06:31,655 --> 00:06:32,826 When it chose the shovel 202 00:06:33,056 --> 00:06:36,411 But his left hemisphere instantly invented a coherent story 203 00:06:36,639 --> 00:06:39,971 Gazzaniga called this left hemisphere function the interpreter 204 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,170 There is a specialized module in the left hemisphere 205 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,531 Its job is to explain your actions after the fact 206 00:06:45,639 --> 00:06:47,451 Creating a coherent narrative 207 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,610 That makes you feel you consciously chose everything 208 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:51,918 But in reality 209 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,131 Many actions begin before you decide 210 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,610 The left hemisphere simply adds a story afterward 211 00:06:57,920 --> 00:06:59,850 Think about what that means 212 00:06:59,999 --> 00:07:01,391 That unified self you believe in 213 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:02,478 Coherent 214 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,158 Making all the decisions 215 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,531 Is in large part a story the left hemisphere tells afterward 216 00:07:08,221 --> 00:07:09,293 The second key finding 217 00:07:09,702 --> 00:07:11,072 The default mode network 218 00:07:11,541 --> 00:07:12,592 In 2001 219 00:07:12,661 --> 00:07:15,820 Marcus Raichle at Washington University in St Louis 220 00:07:15,822 --> 00:07:17,512 Noticed something interesting 221 00:07:17,822 --> 00:07:19,473 When people have no task to do 222 00:07:19,502 --> 00:07:20,753 And are simply daydreaming 223 00:07:20,942 --> 00:07:22,553 The brain is not resting 224 00:07:22,861 --> 00:07:26,072 A particular set of brain regions becomes very active 225 00:07:26,262 --> 00:07:29,113 He called these regions the default mode network 226 00:07:29,341 --> 00:07:30,712 Later research found 227 00:07:30,781 --> 00:07:34,272 That this network mostly deals with the self 228 00:07:34,622 --> 00:07:35,772 Recalling past experiences 229 00:07:36,142 --> 00:07:37,673 Imagining future situations 230 00:07:37,702 --> 00:07:39,260 Wondering what others think of us 231 00:07:39,262 --> 00:07:41,032 Judging how well we have done 232 00:07:41,262 --> 00:07:42,260 Put simply 233 00:07:42,262 --> 00:07:45,832 It is the brain engine for telling stories about the self 234 00:07:46,661 --> 00:07:48,272 When you are not paying attention 235 00:07:48,541 --> 00:07:52,687 It keeps weaving a story about who you are 236 00:07:53,115 --> 00:07:54,247 Interestingly 237 00:07:54,276 --> 00:07:56,726 When people enter deep meditation 238 00:07:57,076 --> 00:08:00,086 Activity in the default mode network drops significantly 239 00:08:00,476 --> 00:08:02,627 What do experienced meditators report 240 00:08:03,115 --> 00:08:04,687 A dissolution of the sense of self 241 00:08:04,995 --> 00:08:08,675 The boundary between themselves and the world grows blurry 242 00:08:08,675 --> 00:08:09,966 Or even disappears 243 00:08:10,196 --> 00:08:13,807 This closely corresponds to suppression of that network 244 00:08:14,076 --> 00:08:14,706 In other words 245 00:08:15,115 --> 00:08:16,646 The feeling of being me 246 00:08:16,755 --> 00:08:20,766 Depends at least partly on the ongoing work of the default mode network 247 00:08:21,076 --> 00:08:22,887 When this network quiets down 248 00:08:22,956 --> 00:08:24,606 The sense of self weakens 249 00:08:24,795 --> 00:08:28,427 Does that not echo the Buddhist idea of nonself at a neural level 250 00:08:29,088 --> 00:08:29,398 Of course 251 00:08:29,768 --> 00:08:30,739 Strictly speaking 252 00:08:30,768 --> 00:08:34,218 This only shows that the sense of self depends on specific neural activity 253 00:08:34,487 --> 00:08:37,298 It is not equivalent to the Buddhist doctrine of nonself 254 00:08:37,528 --> 00:08:39,067 But they point in the same direction 255 00:08:39,375 --> 00:08:40,827 The third key perspective 256 00:08:40,895 --> 00:08:43,626 Comes from German philosopher Thomas Metzinger 257 00:08:43,895 --> 00:08:46,026 He wrote an influential book 258 00:08:46,175 --> 00:08:48,067 Called Being No One 259 00:08:48,216 --> 00:08:50,427 Literally being nobody 260 00:08:50,696 --> 00:08:53,467 He proposed the concept of a self model 261 00:08:53,736 --> 00:08:54,707 Metzinger says 262 00:08:54,736 --> 00:08:58,106 The brain continually builds a virtual model of itself 263 00:08:58,255 --> 00:09:00,707 That model is the self you experience 264 00:09:00,936 --> 00:09:01,934 But here is the problem 265 00:09:01,936 --> 00:09:04,467 You cannot experience the model being built 266 00:09:04,535 --> 00:09:06,986 You experience only the result 267 00:09:07,135 --> 00:09:12,026 So you mistake the model for an entity that actually exists 268 00:09:12,976 --> 00:09:15,547 He later wrote a more accessible book 269 00:09:15,576 --> 00:09:17,174 Called The Ego Tunnel 270 00:09:17,175 --> 00:09:18,266 The tunnel of the self 271 00:09:19,195 --> 00:09:20,327 He offered this analogy 272 00:09:20,396 --> 00:09:23,446 Your entire subjective experience is like being inside a tunnel 273 00:09:23,595 --> 00:09:26,286 You think what you see inside is the world outside 274 00:09:26,315 --> 00:09:30,646 But you only see images the brain projects on the tunnel walls 275 00:09:30,955 --> 00:09:34,675 You think the person standing there watching the world is real 276 00:09:34,675 --> 00:09:37,406 But that person too is one of the projected images 277 00:09:37,876 --> 00:09:40,007 How similar this sounds to the Buddha 278 00:09:40,195 --> 00:09:42,127 You cannot find the self in the five aggregates 279 00:09:42,156 --> 00:09:44,566 Because it is not any one of their components 280 00:09:44,675 --> 00:09:48,974 It is a model the brain constructs as the five aggregates operate 281 00:09:49,243 --> 00:09:50,775 This model is useful 282 00:09:50,804 --> 00:09:52,974 It helps you navigate the world 283 00:09:53,083 --> 00:09:54,194 Make plans 284 00:09:54,564 --> 00:09:56,454 And interact with other people 285 00:09:56,723 --> 00:09:59,535 But it is not an independently existing entity 286 00:09:59,764 --> 00:10:01,275 Remember what we discussed before 287 00:10:01,843 --> 00:10:04,015 Emptiness does not mean things do not exist 288 00:10:04,243 --> 00:10:07,615 It means their existence depends on conditions 289 00:10:07,843 --> 00:10:10,054 Nonself does not mean you do not exist either 290 00:10:10,203 --> 00:10:13,895 It means you do not exist in the way you imagine 291 00:10:14,164 --> 00:10:17,814 You are not a fixed soul living inside a bodily container 292 00:10:17,924 --> 00:10:20,214 You are a process that keeps renewing itself 293 00:10:20,284 --> 00:10:23,535 A dynamic model constantly built and rebuilt 294 00:10:24,323 --> 00:10:26,334 British psychologist Bruce Hood 295 00:10:26,404 --> 00:10:28,375 In his book The Self Illusion 296 00:10:28,404 --> 00:10:30,255 Expressed a very insightful idea 297 00:10:30,644 --> 00:10:34,015 The self is the most successful story the brain tells itself 298 00:10:34,203 --> 00:10:35,443 So successful 299 00:10:35,443 --> 00:10:38,255 That you completely forget it is a story 300 00:10:39,129 --> 00:10:41,499 If you watched my episode on predictive coding 301 00:10:41,569 --> 00:10:43,300 This logic becomes even clearer 302 00:10:43,528 --> 00:10:45,327 The brain is a prediction machine 303 00:10:45,329 --> 00:10:47,379 It generates predictive models of the world 304 00:10:47,449 --> 00:10:50,139 Then updates them with sensory feedback 305 00:10:50,329 --> 00:10:53,460 The self is the most central predictive model it generates 306 00:10:53,688 --> 00:10:55,968 A prediction that this body contains a continuous 307 00:10:55,969 --> 00:10:57,659 Unified subject 308 00:10:57,969 --> 00:11:00,499 This prediction works well most of the time 309 00:11:00,528 --> 00:11:02,220 So you never question it 310 00:11:02,449 --> 00:11:03,879 But under certain extreme conditions 311 00:11:04,168 --> 00:11:05,488 Such as deep meditation 312 00:11:05,489 --> 00:11:06,279 Near death experiences 313 00:11:06,569 --> 00:11:08,379 Or some neurological disorders 314 00:11:08,408 --> 00:11:10,460 This model can be temporarily interrupted 315 00:11:10,569 --> 00:11:11,980 And suddenly you discover 316 00:11:12,089 --> 00:11:14,681 That the self can disappear 317 00:11:14,909 --> 00:11:16,280 And when the self disappears 318 00:11:16,389 --> 00:11:18,400 Consciousness itself does not 319 00:11:18,630 --> 00:11:20,321 This is extremely important 320 00:11:20,750 --> 00:11:22,640 Consciousness is not the same as the self 321 00:11:22,990 --> 00:11:25,601 Consciousness is the underlying capacity for awareness 322 00:11:25,789 --> 00:11:29,841 The self is a narrative model built on top of that awareness 323 00:11:30,230 --> 00:11:32,721 You can be conscious without a sense of self 324 00:11:32,870 --> 00:11:36,240 That is exactly the state experienced meditators describe 325 00:11:36,389 --> 00:11:37,601 Pure awareness 326 00:11:37,710 --> 00:11:39,167 With no narrator 327 00:11:39,435 --> 00:11:42,646 Now let us bring this back to everyday life 328 00:11:42,996 --> 00:11:44,786 What practical value does nonself have 329 00:11:45,395 --> 00:11:46,207 Think about it 330 00:11:46,275 --> 00:11:49,106 Where does most of your everyday suffering come from 331 00:11:49,596 --> 00:11:50,687 From the self 332 00:11:51,196 --> 00:11:52,227 I have been offended 333 00:11:52,555 --> 00:11:53,587 I have been ignored 334 00:11:53,836 --> 00:11:54,847 I am not good enough 335 00:11:54,915 --> 00:11:55,827 I fear failure 336 00:11:56,155 --> 00:11:57,687 I must prove myself 337 00:11:57,996 --> 00:12:00,834 All this suffering begins with the same word 338 00:12:00,836 --> 00:12:01,727 I 339 00:12:02,368 --> 00:12:05,167 If you see that this self is not a fixed entity 340 00:12:05,168 --> 00:12:07,979 But a narrative model continually being built 341 00:12:08,248 --> 00:12:10,538 You gain a buffer between yourself and suffering 342 00:12:10,768 --> 00:12:12,979 You are not denying that suffering exists 343 00:12:13,087 --> 00:12:15,139 You are seeing how it is structured 344 00:12:15,447 --> 00:12:17,578 Suffering is an unpleasant experience 345 00:12:17,648 --> 00:12:20,418 Plus the story that this is happening to me 346 00:12:20,888 --> 00:12:22,658 When you can separate those two layers 347 00:12:22,727 --> 00:12:24,298 The unpleasant experience remains 348 00:12:24,368 --> 00:12:28,779 But the added harm from that personal narrative can shrink dramatically 349 00:12:29,569 --> 00:12:30,939 When we discussed emptiness 350 00:12:31,049 --> 00:12:33,939 I said its practical purpose is to reduce attachment 351 00:12:34,409 --> 00:12:36,939 Nonself takes the same idea a level deeper 352 00:12:37,208 --> 00:12:38,620 You cling 353 00:12:38,649 --> 00:12:40,780 Because there is a self doing the clinging 354 00:12:41,049 --> 00:12:44,140 When you see that this self is itself a construction 355 00:12:44,329 --> 00:12:46,459 Attachment loses its foundation 356 00:12:46,848 --> 00:12:48,598 This is more than theoretical reasoning 357 00:12:48,948 --> 00:12:52,399 Many studies of mindfulness meditation point in the same direction 358 00:12:52,708 --> 00:12:56,758 Regular meditation reduces the intensity of self referential processing 359 00:12:56,907 --> 00:13:00,039 Meaning less overactivity in the default mode network 360 00:13:00,387 --> 00:13:01,258 What happens as a result 361 00:13:01,668 --> 00:13:02,659 In these studies 362 00:13:02,948 --> 00:13:04,026 Anxiety decreases 363 00:13:04,027 --> 00:13:05,546 Rumination decreases 364 00:13:05,548 --> 00:13:07,998 Emotional reactions to negative events become weaker 365 00:13:08,227 --> 00:13:10,758 The effects are mostly small to moderate 366 00:13:10,788 --> 00:13:12,598 But they point in the same direction 367 00:13:12,788 --> 00:13:14,707 Not because you have become numb 368 00:13:14,708 --> 00:13:17,426 But because the mechanism that keeps amplifying suffering 369 00:13:17,428 --> 00:13:18,578 The engine of personal narratives 370 00:13:18,987 --> 00:13:20,078 Has quieted a little 371 00:13:20,426 --> 00:13:21,227 Finally 372 00:13:21,261 --> 00:13:23,632 I want to return to a question people often ask 373 00:13:24,061 --> 00:13:24,933 If there is no self 374 00:13:25,261 --> 00:13:26,252 Then who is practicing 375 00:13:26,941 --> 00:13:28,012 Who is seeking awakening 376 00:13:28,822 --> 00:13:32,953 That question is the self model making one last stand 377 00:13:33,421 --> 00:13:36,112 It uses the logical framework most familiar to you 378 00:13:36,301 --> 00:13:38,660 To resist something beyond that framework 379 00:13:38,660 --> 00:13:39,447 An insight 380 00:13:40,668 --> 00:13:41,620 The Buddha answered 381 00:13:42,068 --> 00:13:43,308 Practice is happening 382 00:13:43,308 --> 00:13:44,639 Awakening is happening 383 00:13:44,708 --> 00:13:48,200 But no fixed subject needs to own these processes 384 00:13:48,588 --> 00:13:50,268 Just as digestion happens 385 00:13:50,269 --> 00:13:54,840 Without a separate digester outside the stomach and intestines 386 00:13:55,229 --> 00:13:56,508 Breathing happens 387 00:13:56,509 --> 00:13:59,559 Without a separate breather doing the breathing 388 00:14:00,598 --> 00:14:01,888 A river flows 389 00:14:02,277 --> 00:14:04,848 You do not need to find a flow maker inside the water 390 00:14:05,237 --> 00:14:07,968 Flowing itself is how the river exists 391 00:14:08,517 --> 00:14:08,868 Likewise 392 00:14:09,478 --> 00:14:10,769 Experiencing happens 393 00:14:10,918 --> 00:14:11,829 Thinking happens 394 00:14:12,277 --> 00:14:13,569 Feeling happens 395 00:14:13,918 --> 00:14:16,848 These processes themselves are how you exist 396 00:14:17,237 --> 00:14:21,368 You need not assume an extra experiencer behind them 397 00:14:21,877 --> 00:14:22,968 That experiencer 398 00:14:23,037 --> 00:14:25,728 Is a narrative the brain constructs afterward 399 00:14:26,157 --> 00:14:27,388 A useful narrative 400 00:14:27,798 --> 00:14:29,689 But a narrative all the same 401 00:14:30,213 --> 00:14:31,344 Earlier we said 402 00:14:31,414 --> 00:14:34,665 Emptiness offers a new way to relate to the world 403 00:14:34,853 --> 00:14:36,224 Today we can say 404 00:14:36,333 --> 00:14:39,864 Nonself offers a new way to relate to yourself 405 00:14:40,253 --> 00:14:43,704 When you stop clinging to a fixed image of yourself 406 00:14:43,814 --> 00:14:46,305 Life starts to feel lighter 407 00:14:46,654 --> 00:14:48,305 Not with the lightness of nothingness 408 00:14:48,414 --> 00:14:50,025 But with the lightness of freedom 409 00:14:50,333 --> 00:14:51,885 You can respond more flexibly 410 00:14:52,253 --> 00:14:53,665 Experience more openly 411 00:14:53,733 --> 00:14:55,584 And face change more calmly 412 00:14:56,054 --> 00:14:59,704 Because you no longer need to protect something that does not really exist 413 00:15:00,317 --> 00:15:01,729 That is all for this episode 414 00:15:02,037 --> 00:15:04,349 What new understanding of nonself have you gained 415 00:15:04,998 --> 00:15:07,648 Have split brain experiments and the default mode network 416 00:15:07,797 --> 00:15:09,668 Changed how you think about the self 417 00:15:10,077 --> 00:15:12,449 Share your thoughts in the comments 418 00:15:12,518 --> 00:15:14,569 I would really like to hear your feedback 419 00:15:15,253 --> 00:15:16,085 I am Leo Wang 420 00:15:16,334 --> 00:15:17,244 See you next time