So, what is
the mind? Well, for starters, it is much more than the brain. The materialist
position, equating the two, is simply wrong. The bulk and the weight of the
evidence point the other way---namely, that the mind is both relational and ‘extended’
to situations in the external world. But what of the ‘self’? Does ‘it’ have a
transcendental, separate existence of its own?
The short answer to that last
question is---no. That is the position asserted by most forms of Buddhism, and
it is a position that increasingly is being supported by the findings of modern
neuroscience and neuropsychiatry.
Hundreds and thousands of
separate, ever-changing and ever-so-transient mental occurrences (‘selves’)
harden into a mental construct of sorts. We call ‘it’ the self, but the so-called self, or ego-self, is no more
than a confluence of impermanent components (‘I-moments’), that is, mental states
(cittas). These mental states are cleverly synthesized by the mind in a way
which appears---note that word, appears---to give them a singularity and
a separate, independent, unchangeable and material existence and life of their
own. The so-called ego-self---as well as the so-called ‘mind’ (nama)---has no separate, independent,
permanent existence in the sense of being, to quote from Vipassana Bhavana, ‘compact, all of one piece, doing all these
different mental functions’:
‘We’, our entire existence, at any given time is
simply the arising of one of those mental states, which is quickly replaced by
another. (Vipassana Bhavana.)
Now,
it is through this perception of an internally created sense of 'self' that we
experience, process and interpret all external reality. With alcoholics and
other addicts, this false or illusory sense of self also becomes chemically
altered (seemingly for all time)---with truly disastrous consequences for the
addict and those associated with him or her. Each of us---not just the alcoholic or other addict---clings to the
‘self’ as self. We even manage to
convince ourselves that we ‘belong’ to that self, and that we are those myriads
of I’s and me’s that make up our waxing and waning consciousness
(the latter simply being the function consisting
of apprehending the bare phenomenal world, that is, cognition):
Whenever there is a functioning
sense-organ (eye, ear, tongue, nose, body and mind), a sense-object (visual
form, sound, taste, smell, touch and thought) entering into the field of the
sense-organ then, with these brought together, there is the manifestation of
the part of consciousness referring to the specific sense-organ. (Majjhimanikāya, i, 190.)
Buddhist
teachings refer to different types of ‘conditions’ that give rise to cognitive
events. In the case of sensory perceptions, external objects are the objective or causal condition. However the immediately preceding moment of
consciousness is said to be the immediate
condition, with the particular sense organ being the physiological or dominant
condition.
In short, Buddhism sees a human
being as being simply an amalgam of ever-changing phenomena of existence. Yes,
the so-called ‘self’ is nothing more than an ‘aggregate’ or ‘heap’ of
perceptions and sensations. It is, in reality, a non-self. There is no unifying
consciousness, and no ultimate ‘self.’ Rather, the human mind is a
field---indeed, a veritable battle-ground---of conflicting tendencies, feelings
and emotions, for the simple reason that the mental is not a unitary agent. Consistent
with an overall pluralism, we are always dealing with a plurality---indeed,
pluralities---of complex interacting but otherwise waxing and waning forces,
for such is the nature of reality. At
the same time, Buddhism espouses an ‘extended’ view of the mind such that the
mind is seen to be more than just the activity of the brain. Rather, the mind
is an embodied and relational process. True, the mind is a product of the
brain, but it is conditioned by both internal and external events.
I go so far as to say this---most of our problems, at least
those of a mental or emotional character, as well as problems in our
relationships, arise because we fail to recognize the ‘illusory’ nature of our
‘self.’ We constantly talk about our ‘self,’ we are told all the time that we
must love our ‘self,’ and we react badly when we feel that some other person is
attacking our ‘self.’ If only we could grasp this simply truth---more than half
of our problems would die from attrition if we, the person that each of us is,
acknowledged that ‘self is illusion.’
Know this. You are not a ‘self,’ you are a person among persons. Be confident, but
forget all about self-confidence. Be a person of esteem, for that you are, but
forget all about self-esteem. Seek the truth (that is, the 'real' and 'actual') in all things, but forget altogether about
self-seeking. The purposes of ‘self’ are in direct and stark contradistinction
to the pursuit of happiness, peace of mind, and serenity.
The photographs in this post were taken
by the author on a trip to Japan in 2012.
by the author on a trip to Japan in 2012.
RELATED POSTS
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.