The religious belief system
The Buddhist idea of Non-Self or Anatman seems far too foreign to bother much with, a fancy term for an idea we are too busy to have. Whilst Non-Self can be a profound experience discovered through meditation, what’s important is all of us can experience a little of what it’s like in our daily lives. … Read more
One thread I have picked up in my quest for answers is how we are prone to illusion and falsehood with the mind. The number of biases and logical fallacies is long; some more common are confirmation bias, survivor bias, special pleading, and arguments from emotion. It’s a wonder we get any done with such … Read more
One attitude we often encounter in life is the notion we have to find ourselves or improve ourselves. ‘Know Thyself’. It’s said on the Oracle in Delphi in ancient Greece. The problem is finding the fixed self or essence to grasp or improve upon. As I learned this makes self-help and self-improvement a trap for … Read more
‘To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.’ Paul Valéry When you walk down the road, how do you now bump into things? When you write your signature, you don’t need to think about it. This state of mind is what Zen and Buddhism at large points towards. This state of … Read more
Buddhism is often misunderstood; those who investigate its ideas often look for a core set of beliefs to cling to. Just as other religions have gods, Buddhism is treated as having some essential truth to grasp. This makes Buddhism the same religion as western beliefs and philosophy. However, the teachings of the Buddha are never … Read more
Zen Master Dogen writes, ‘To study Buddhism is to study the Self; to study the Self is to forget the Self.’ Who are we? What are We? We are obsessed with finding ourselves. To seek that essence, that fundamental core of what we are. The search for the Self is both illuminating and mystifying. To … Read more