DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Breaking free from Rebirth... Why would you want to?

**Numbiydq** · 03-08-2011, 09:03 AM

Good question.

I'm possibly the only Buddhist who would say that it's better to proceed with the assumption that self exists.
Namaste
kris

No, you're not the only one. I do not believe (although I have no proof either way) that the Buddha taught that there was no "self" - that, in some sense, each of us is an unidentifiable part of some cosmic all-encompassing "something", or a tiny speck in some massive community of organisms, any one of which has no distinct identity except for some "conventional" tag or label. Glibly saying that we have a "conventional self" simply begs the question of what exactly is meant by "conventional" (I have a feeling no one will be able to define this word in any way that makes sense without referring to the self). That said, this whole business about "no self" has not an iota of effect on my sense that Buddhism has some great things to teach.

03-08-2011, 09:03 AM	#14
Numbiydq Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 568 Senior Member	Good question. I'm possibly the only Buddhist who would say that it's better to proceed with the assumption that self exists. Namaste kris No, you're not the only one. I do not believe (although I have no proof either way) that the Buddha taught that there was no "self" - that, in some sense, each of us is an unidentifiable part of some cosmic all-encompassing "something", or a tiny speck in some massive community of organisms, any one of which has no distinct identity except for some "conventional" tag or label. Glibly saying that we have a "conventional self" simply begs the question of what exactly is meant by "conventional" (I have a feeling no one will be able to define this word in any way that makes sense without referring to the self). That said, this whole business about "no self" has not an iota of effect on my sense that Buddhism has some great things to teach.
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