DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - 4 Questions for Matthieu Ricard, Tibetan monk

**WebDocMan** · 04-14-2011, 08:45 PM

I don't think of the self as an entity, but indeed as a process.

Yes. The Buddha taught 'self' is a mental process of becoming or thought formation born from craving & ignorance.

In terms of "function and continuity of experience"- what is experiencing the continuity of experience? Memory, albeit imperfect. Can your mind remember everything it did, spoke & thought today? No

In order to experience, there needs to be an awareness of that experience. Thus, obviously, you need consciousness. Naturally

So, experience and consciousness are inextricably linked. Without consciousness, there is no experience. So, experience is something that happens to consciousness. It could be thought of as a happening within a happening. Yes & no. Consciousness facilitates experience but experience is actually happening to the mind (citta).

So, either experience happens to something that is conscious, or it happens to consciousness itself. It would have to be one or the other. Yes. The "other" here is the mind (citta)

Therefore, consciousness itself, is the self. No. Consciousness is just consciousness or awareness.

The "self" is a kind of illusory thinking or assumption.

The Buddha said:
There is the case where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — assumes form, feeling, perception, fabricating and/or consciousness to be the self. That assumption is a fabrication. Now what is the cause, what is the origination, what is the birth, what is the coming-into-existence of that fabrication? To an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person, touched by that which is felt born of contact with ignorance, craving arises. That fabrication is born of that. And that fabrication is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. That craving... That feeling... That contact... That ignorance is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....081.than.html

04-14-2011, 08:45 PM	#6
WebDocMan Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 513 Senior Member	I don't think of the self as an entity, but indeed as a process. Yes. The Buddha taught 'self' is a mental process of becoming or thought formation born from craving & ignorance. In terms of "function and continuity of experience"- what is experiencing the continuity of experience? Memory, albeit imperfect. Can your mind remember everything it did, spoke & thought today? No In order to experience, there needs to be an awareness of that experience. Thus, obviously, you need consciousness. Naturally So, experience and consciousness are inextricably linked. Without consciousness, there is no experience. So, experience is something that happens to consciousness. It could be thought of as a happening within a happening. Yes & no. Consciousness facilitates experience but experience is actually happening to the mind (citta). So, either experience happens to something that is conscious, or it happens to consciousness itself. It would have to be one or the other. Yes. The "other" here is the mind (citta) Therefore, consciousness itself, is the self. No. Consciousness is just consciousness or awareness. The "self" is a kind of illusory thinking or assumption. The Buddha said: There is the case where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — assumes form, feeling, perception, fabricating and/or consciousness to be the self. That assumption is a fabrication. Now what is the cause, what is the origination, what is the birth, what is the coming-into-existence of that fabrication? To an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person, touched by that which is felt born of contact with ignorance, craving arises. That fabrication is born of that. And that fabrication is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. That craving... That feeling... That contact... That ignorance is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....081.than.html
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