Tag: not self

If Not-Self Then What?

by Dana Nourie, Published on July 14, 2012, with 23 Comments

The Buddha’s teachings on not-self truly are impressive, especially when you consider those were times in which people were immersed in beliefs about the supernatural, an essence of self that is everlasting, and a multitude of gods. For Buddha to point out the parts of the body as not self, the emotions as not self, [...]

A Secular Understanding of Dependent Origination: #12 Aging and Death

by Linda, Published on June 24, 2012, with 4 Comments

The aging of beings in the various orders of beings, their old age, brokenness of teeth, grayness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of life, weakness of faculties — this is called aging. The passing of beings out of the various orders of beings, their passing away, dissolution, disappearance, dying, completion of time, dissolution of [...]

A Secular Understanding of Dependent Origination: #1 Ignorance

by Linda, Published on May 21, 2012, with 50 Comments

This post is the first in a series of twelve on dependent arising (the translation of paticca samuppada that I prefer over dependent origination, or co-dependent arising, or interdependent origination or any of the other variations). I plan to take each link in the classic chain of twelve and explain — in the plainest language [...]

Weekly Practice (Not Self & Review)

by Dana Nourie, Published on February 21, 2012, with 7 Comments

If you’ve been following along each week, first with impermanence, then with mindfulness and concentration, and then with body and feelings, and lastly with mental formations, you may have caught on to the repeated question, “Is this thought, feeling, body sensation, emotional reaction a solid, unchanging self?”

Weekly Practice (5 Aggregates: Mental Formations)

by Dana Nourie, Published on February 15, 2012, with 5 Comments

This week we’ll examine the last three aggregates: Perception, Fabrication, and Consciousness. All three of these are mental formations, what the mind does.

The Importance of Compassion without Buddhism

by Dana Nourie, Published on December 11, 2011, with 3 Comments

One of the many things I like about the company I’m currently working for is that our CEO uses the following words repeatedly in his All Hands meetings: Mindful, Awareness, Compassion. He speaks of communicating with each other through compassion, being mindful to the needs of others, and staying aware of our cultural needs within the company, and the greater community outside of the company. All of this is spoken without mention of Buddha or Buddhism, and is completely secular.