Releasing the
Misconception "I Am" is Freedom!
The Blessed Buddha once
noted:
It is by clinging, friends, that the notion: 'I am' occurs, not without
clinging!
And by clinging to what does the notion: 'I am' occur, not without clinging?
It is by clinging to form, to feeling, to perception, to mental constructions, &
to consciousness that the notion: 'I am' occurs, and not without this clinging!
Suppose, friends, a young woman, or a young man, fond of fashion & jewelry,
would examine her own facial image in a mirror or in a bowl filled with pure,
clear, clean water: She would look at it with clinging, not without clinging...
Even and exactly so too, it is by clinging to form, to feeling, to perception,
to mental constructions, & to consciousness that the notion:
'I am' occurs!
It is not without this subconscious, quite detrimental, deep
and rigid clinging!
Clinging to what is impermanent,
transient and prone to decay is very painful..
What is changing
& painful cannot be 'Mine', nor 'What I Am', nor 'My Self'!
Understanding this, the intelligent Noble disciple is disgusted with all forms,
all feelings, all perceptions, all mental constructions,
and every
consciousness.
Being disgusted induces disillusion. This disillusion
launches into
mental release!
When released, then mind becomes unagitated! By being entirely imperturbable
one attains Awakening right
there and then, and one instantly understands:
This mind is irreversibly freed!
Rebirth is ended, this Noble Life is concluded,
done is what should be done,
there is no state of being after or beyond this...
Comments:
Let's take a closer look at the seemingly self-evident
statement "I Am"...
There are two components: An "I" and an "Am"... Which is the
wrong here?
The "Am" part designating existence cannot be denied. This
"existence"
is however neither static, nor being of an entity, nor
presence of an "I"...!
What is it then that "Ams"=IS? It is just these 5 dynamic &
ever-changing
processes (& not entities!): Of form, feeling,
perception, construction and
consciousness, that arise and cease according to their
conditioned causes!
What is it then, that have a form, a body to be seen there in
the mirror?
It is the process of form itself, that has this frame of
appearance...
What is it then, that feels pleasure, pain and neutral feeling?
It is the process of feeling itself, that feels pleasure, pain
and neither!
What is it then, that perceives, that experiences, if it is not
"Me"?
It is the process of perception itself, that perceives various
'objects'!
What is it then, that constructs, intends, plans, & hopes, if it
is not "I"?
It is the process of mental construction itself, that creates
tendencies!
What is it then, that is conscious, if it is not "myself", "my
ego or soul"?
It is the process of consciousness itself, that arises & ceases
ever again...
Nothing else......, than these ownerless conditions, these
selfless states,
these coreless phenomena without independent substance, is ever
there!
So: In conclusion regarding the statement "I Am": The "Am" part
is OK,
since the 5 clusters of clinging actually are momentarily
in existence...
However the "I" part is wrong, since this "ego in there" is an
illusion!
An illusion in conclusion hehehe ;-) Don't feel any
existentialistic nausea
here. Just let this 'ego' evaporate as it may... It was
never really 'there'
in the first place, so nothing is lost and a fundamental freedom
is gained!
This selflessness is sublime... :-)
As the Blessed Buddha once noticed:
Blissful is solitude for one who is content, and who sees the
True Dhamma.
More blissful is harmlessness towards all beings without any
exception.
Even more blissful is freedom from any sensual urge whatsoever.
Yet, the supreme bliss, is the elimination of this abysmal
conceit “I am”!’
Udana – Inspiration: II – 1
On clinging to 'personality' view
(Sakkāya
Ditthi) and selflessness (Anattā):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/I-dentification.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Ego-Projection.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Anatta_No_Self.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anatta.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/No_Agent_is_Inside.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_Anatta_Doctrine.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Just_Passing_Bubbles.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Neither_Agent_nor_Actor.htm
The Ego Tunnel - Prof. Dr. Thomas
Metzinger TED video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjY1fAcESs
Source:
The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya
22:83 III 105
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html
