Dismantling The Self
The problem is simple, but it’s not easy. Ego,
self-centeredness, survival, are all words that
point to the problem. The simple fact that we
all die is ignored by most everyone. That
ignorance is the basis of the competitive
struggle that creates factions, nations, political
groups, manifestos, organized religions, belief
systems, and other self-referential forms.
It is possible to produce enough food to
feed the world, to house and clothe it’s people,
to avoid environmental catastrophe,
to control population so that one species does not
dominate the planet…but this will not happen
unless a complete about face of world view
occurs for humanity…an about face from the
delusion of control, dominance and social
Darwinism that is just an excuse for humans
to behave like animals.
It’s doubtful that such an about face will occur.
It took two World Wars for Europe
to tire of senseless slaughter and go into union.
At this point, it’s likely the entire world
will experience that painful lesson. The only
question is will there be anyone left when
school lets out?
The problem is organic. The evolution of
intelligence leads to self awareness…a useful
mechanism in that it creates questioning
that leads to discovery and mind’s ability to
function in the phenomenal world. With the
arising of self consciousness co-emerges
the illusion of a “thing” called “me”, which
is a shadow or “gel” that overlays sense
perceptions and creates a bias for the reference
point. This bias selects experience that
enhances the reference point and avoids that
which is detrimental to it. Pure, unbiased
perception is captivated and used to ensure
the continuity of the reference point, which
clouds mind’s ability to see things as they are.
The self-referential entities that appear
are sophisticated enough to form relationships
which seem to enhance survival. Every
possible manifestation then ensues.
2500 years ago, Lord Buddha taught
the path of liberation from the dictatorship
of the ego. Enlightenment is not some high
state where you can experience what you’ve
been longing for. Enlightenment is merely
the absence of ego, the illusion of self-
centeredness…. that which keeps
us from our natural lives.
Face it, Baby, it’s a tough illusion…
like when you walked in that bar that night and
she was sitting there like a reason to live.
It clicked in your heart like a bear trap. You
had to do what you did. Enough said. You
couldn’t just look at it. It seemed too real.
The self has to be dismantled in order to
recover the simple direct perception of
phenomena, which is wisdom. The process of
the path is like taking a loaded revolver
from a baby that has accidentally found it.
All kinds of emotions come up; anger,
resentment, betrayal as one gives up,
lets go of, looses it’s favorite toy.
"What no one is allowed to consider is the distressing possibility that no amount of tinkering and changing and greening and teaching the kindergartners to plant trees and recycle Dad’s beer cans will ever really matter if our assumptions about what it means to be prosperous, what it means to be “developed,” what it means to live in “progress,” and what it means to be “free” remain what they have been for the last four hundred years under the evergrowing weight of capitalist markets and capitalist social relations. As Marx put it, under capitalism we carry our relation to others in our pockets. Marx would now have to add, sadly, that those “others” must now include the animals of the field and the birds of the sky (Daniel, 2:38) as well as the fields and sky themselves."–“A Good Without Light,” Curtis White, Tin House
posted by John Tischer @ 5:05 PM
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