Episode 155 - Visions of Self in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism with Rev. Diana Thompson (Part 1)

Our good friend, Diana, is back! She’s a bad ass Buddhist Reverend from the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple; you definitely don’t wanna miss episode 155 (Part 1 of 2 on "Visions of Self in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism"), friends! 

Self: 1: the essential person distinct from all other persons in identity 2: a particular side of a person’s character (Merriam-Webster)

Self: 1. A person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action. (Oxford online dictionary)

These are definitions of the ‘self’ as it is understood in the English language. Both imply a unique, individual ‘something’ that makes us who we are. By using the word ‘essential’ these definitions also seem to imply that there is some permanence to this self, an absolute core at the center of our being that goes unchanged. This unique individual is one who stands out and apart from others, the ‘self-made’, ‘self-taught’ person who ‘rides alone’. (I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.’) This narrative of the independent, self-made person has shaped the ways in which we view the ‘self’ both in positive and negative ways. On the positive side, it encourages us to veer away from a ‘sheep’ mentality and to think for ourselves. On the negative side, it produces a culture in which people are shamed for seeking outside help and causes them to shy away from even simple acknowledgment and gratitude to those who do or are willing to help.

For Buddhists, this human desire for a permanent, independent self, is the cause of much of our suffering. We experience anxiety when we feel that we that we don’t know who we are and so we will set out on journeys of self-discovery in order to find that essential something that is ‘myself’ apart from others and we experience extra anxiety if we cannot find it. This is not to say that Buddhists would discourage the journey. The questioning or examination of the self is not the problem. The problem is our greed (desire for permanence), anger (frustration when we can’t find it) and stupidity (our stubborn refusal to accept impermanence and interdependence). We are all suffering from G.A.S.

Time to get GAS(y), friends. 

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