[Bigroza]

I have always looked at self as being the naked ape.

In that we tend to take various Ideas/Beliefs/Knowledge and view them as being self, when in fact these ideas delude self.

hi Bobo

the Buddha taught "selfing" is a mental tendency each human being is born with

as you expressed, this tendency of mind "takes" or "appropriates" things and views those things as being "self" & "belonging to self"

for example, a child does not do anything to bring about its existence. a child is born from the genetics and activity of its parents. yet when a child reaches a certain age, it naturally views its body as "me", even though the body is just composed of genetic material

the body continues to grow due to be nourished by external physical food, such as rice, corn, wheat, bananas, apples, oranges, etc

although the body is growing due to external physical matter, the mind thinks: "I am growing; I am getting fat", etc

so "self" or "selfing" is a tendency of mind that identifies with things it did not create itself

selfing thinks "my mother", "my father", "my house", "my computer", "my body", "my mind", "my wife", "my husband", "my job", etc

this is a natural part of life because individual & social life naturally requires such identification, otherwise there would be chaos

so Buddhism encourages the individual to investigate this selfing process, to see it is only a convention rather than ultimately true

why? because the mind's grasping & appropriating of things as "I", "me" and "mine" is the root of suffering

when we regard something as "us" and "ours", when this thing changes & is lost, the mind will suffer, just like your possessiveness is possibly due to an underlying fear of loss

kind regards


Element

The Buddha said:

Now, how is one afflicted in mind?

There is the case where an uninstructed person assumes form (the body) to be the self or the self as possessing form or form as in the self or the self as in form. He is seized with the idea that 'I am form' or 'Form is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his form changes & alters and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes feeling to be the self or the self as possessing feeling or feeling as in the self or the self as in feeling. He is seized with the idea that 'I am feeling' or 'Feeling is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his feeling changes & alters and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes perception to be the self or the self as possessing perception or perception as in the self or the self as in perception. He is seized with the idea that 'I am perception' or 'Perception is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his perception changes & alters and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes (mental) fabrications to be the self or the self as possessing fabrications or fabrications as in the self or the self as in fabrications. He is seized with the idea that 'I am fabrications' or 'Fabrications are mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his fabrications change & alter and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over their change & alteration.

He assumes consciousness [including what is seen, heard, smelt, tasted, touched, etc] to be the self or the self as possessing consciousness or consciousness as in the self or the self as in consciousness. He is seized with the idea that 'I am consciousness' or 'Consciousness is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his consciousness changes & alters and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

This, householder, is how one is afflicted in mind.

Nakulapita Sutta: To Nakulapita