To Those Searching for Themselves: Reading 'There Is No Such Thing as a Self'
'There Is No Such Thing as a Self'—Eastern Philosophy as Liberal Arts
From the very beginning, it was so interesting that I
couldn't help but laugh out loud.
What is written in this book is
neither a new theory nor an explanation of difficult philosophical texts.
It describes, in a gentle and fun way,
a feeling I had always felt somewhere
but could never put into words.
'Who am I?'
'Let's have a core of our own.'
'Let's stay true to ourselves.'
These questions and messages
are an extension of Western philosophical thinking.
To think.
To define.
To choose.
These certainly give us strength.
But at the same time,
they were also very exhausting questions.
'I must be a proper self.'
'I must be a consistent self.'
That 'must'
without me knowing,
sometimes tightened my heart.
What 'There Is No Such Thing as a Self' Taught Me
This book
gently releases that tension.
The phrase 'there is no self'
is neither dismissive nor empty.
It is
a deep permission that you don't have to fix yourself,
that it's okay to change,
and that it's okay to waver.
That is what it was.
In Eastern philosophy,
this refers to non-self, emptiness, and dependent origination.
The existence of 'I' is born within relationships and continues to change along with circumstances.
Therefore,
you don't have to decide
'this is the real me.'
Suffering is born when you 'protect yourself too much'
This book
does not try to teach you
'how to live successfully.'
Instead,
it shows you, without blame,
'why you became so miserable.'
In many cases, that was
the result of holding onto yourself too tightly.
how I should be
how I want to be seen
how I must be
Those 'obsessions'
without me knowing,
were binding me.
'There is no such thing as a self' is
not about giving up on anything.
I thought it was, rather, the opposite.
Because you don't excessively protect yourself,
you can be kind to others.
You can connect with the world more gently.
Because there is no fixed 'me',
what you lose and what you protect
become a little lighter.
I thought that was
not weakness, but
flexibility.
Because you don't solidify, you can become free.
If Western philosophy
asks, 'Who are you?'
then
this book
whispers this to you.
'You don't have to decide so much.'
'Today, it's fine to just be today's you.'
At those words,
the tension in my shoulders just melted away.
—Well,
the East is
much freer than the West.
That is what I thought.
You don't have to keep searching for yourself.
You don't have to be complete.
In the flow of things,
you can just live in each moment.
You don't have to overthink it.
You don't have to compare yourself too much.
'There is no such thing as a self.'
I am sure that,
when I am tired again,
I will return to these words.
Being yourself today,
is already enough.
If there is anyone who read this to the end,
I am truly grateful,
for your time.✨