the self in western and eastern thoughts summary

While the unconscious and non-rational id stood for the biological component of the personality, and the superego, another non-rational agency, for the internalized social dimensions of the individual, it was particularly the rational ego, who functioned as the homuncular executor of the personality. Freud, S. (1964). The alayavijnana is a vast unconscious realm, which is often compared to a stream, constantly flowing and renewing itself. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. The person’s boundaries dissolve, and the person becomes the universe. To some extent Western formulations of the self evidence a homunculus-like quality lacking in some Eastern conceptions, especially those derived from the Vijnanavada and Zen Buddhist traditions. The Buddha conceived of the universe as composed of an infinite number of Dharmas, which are described as “point-instants” having infinitesimal extension and only momentary duration, somewhat analogous to the particle-waves of quantum physics (Soeng, 1991). This is the realization known as enlightenment, the emergence of the big self, the Self with capital S, which is boundless. Implications for psychotherapy and everyday life are discussed. Richard C. Page: is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia, Athens. The same is true for the seed and the fertile soil, and for the logger who cut the tree down, for without them, the tree would not have been there for the paper to be. There is no little man inside of the head, no thinker of thoughts, no doer of deeds, no inner ego or self, other than the temporary gestalt formed by the skandhas. The psychology of C. G. Jung. Now stretch your imagination, and assume for a moment that the collection of elements forming the wave had resulted in the phenomenon of consciousness. The teaching of “dependent origination” is at the core of the Buddha’s teaching or Dharma. Richard C. Page: is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia, Athens. Usposabljanje za vodenje terapije Evolucija Odnosa, Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Enlightenment, On Anatta (No-Self), Emptiness, Maha and Ordinariness, and Spontaneous Perfection. Yes I agree, what an amazing piece of writing. Buddhist and Western psychology: Some commonalities and differences. The eastern perspective sees the other person as part of yourself as well as the things you may create, a drama in which everyone is interconnected with their specific roles (Wolter 2012) The Western and … New York: Bantam. Horney, K. (1950). Wheaton, IL: Theosophical House. In reality, it has no boundaries, the wave and the ocean are one, the wave is the ocean, and the ocean is the wave—the separation was just an illusion created by our perceptions and by the words we use to describe them. The … London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Since upon realizing the universal oneness of all, the “selfless Self,” everyone and everything is oneself, this transcendent wisdom generates universal compassion and caring of everyone as oneself. Now open your fingers. The illumination is one ongoing phenomenon, integrating the contributions of the individual bulbs. I ask questions about the individual and his or her role in the social construction process, by comparing Eastern and Western ideas about the concept of self. Now all we have is a pile of parts—where is the car? According to Vasubandhu, all that can be experienced to exist is “mind only,” or the mental processes of knowing. Language automatically fosters further reifications, in a vicious cycle which prevents the individual from effectively communicating in a non-reifying, nondualistic manner. New York: Harper Collins. In B. Engler, Personality theories: An introduction (5th ed., pp. Loy, D. (1993). The Buddhist notion of self circumvents reification, being an impermanent gestalt formed by the interaction of five skandhas or aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness). Not only are human beings declared to lack a soul or self, but so is everything else: rivers, mountains, this paper, and your pencil, all lack a separate self. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of a [personal] self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of “me” and “mine,” selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. There is no separate, independent self or soul that would be left if we removed form (which includes the body), feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. These labels tend to perpetuate the illusion that reified concepts are actually real, existing objects, for their reality seems to be attested to by the very fact that labels exists for each of them. To some extent Western formulations of the self evidence a homunculus-like quality lacking in some Eastern conceptions, especially those derived from the Vijnanavada and Zen Buddhist traditions. On the contrary, it empowers the individual by erasing the boundaries of separateness that limit the personal ego or self. But the concept of anatta does not negate the person, nor does it diminish it. Cumberland, RI: Primary Point. The delusion of the separate self is likely to be stronger in individuals raised in individualistic societies, such as those of Europe and America, and may be weaker in collectivistic societies, such as those of China or Japan, where the harmony (wah) of the group takes precedence over the needs of the individual. The western way is to have everything now, instant gratification. This same piece of paper, is also because there was rain and sunshine, for without them the tree could not have grown. Wisdom and compassion are dependently arisen, they “inter-are.” In the final analysis, wisdom is compassion, and compassion is wisdom (Mosig, 1989). Humans are intersubjective beings interacting with other people and environmental factors in a constant state of flux. This develops positive mental habits rooted in the seeds of the alayavijnana, and has far-reaching effects on the life and well-being of the individual. Since it is the self-as-knower that labels and classifies the characteristics of the self-as-object, it stands for a homunculus whose own inner self cannot be reached without infinite regression into absurdity. When we carry a burden, it is heavy; when there is no one to carry it, there is not a problem in the world! Neurosis and human growth. This false sense of self or ego-individuality defiles the first six consciousnesses and is the source of all sort of psychological problems and delusions. . AND EASTERNTHOUGHT LESSON OBJECTIVES. There are eight consciousnesses, and yet these are ultimately one (Epstein, 1995). Eastern psychotherapy attempts to dissolve the experience of the self-as-separate entity and replace it with a feeling of interconnectedness, the non-self or selfless Self implied in the Buddhist concept of anatta. (1961). Where does the wave end and the rest of the ocean start? Hahn, N. (1991). East and West may have numerous differences based on culture. Each of these jewels reflects the whole net, so that the entire universe is contained in each part of it (Loy, 1993). University of Nebraska at Kearney The heart of understanding. By extension, it is making a thing out of a form, a shape, a configuration, a Gestalt, a perception, or an image. It is essentially a perceptual and cognitive processing center. The ego in turn served as the model for the self in a number of theories developed by those who wrote in the wake of Freud. Since upon realizing the universal oneness of all, the “selfless Self,” everyone and everything is oneself, this transcendent wisdom generates universal compassion and caring of everyone as oneself. According to Buddhist psychology, what we call a “person” is the composite of five groups of elements or skandhas. The delusion of separateness results in cravings, grasping, clinging, greed, selfishness, hatred, fear, feelings of alienation, loneliness, helplessness, and anxiety, which afflict those “healthy” as well as “unhealthy.”. . It could be argued that the self needs to be strengthened before it can be abandoned. The first five correspond to the five basic sense fields, and share the same level of depth. Where did it go? According to Buddhist psychology, what we call a “person” is the composite of five groups of elements or, The teaching of “dependent origination” is at the core of the Buddha’s teaching or, The interconnectedness, or “interbeing,” of everything in the universe, implied in the principle of dependent origination, finds an elegant expression in the metaphor of the jewel net of Indra, in the Buddha’s “Flower Ornament” sermon (Avatamsaka Sutra). Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Similarities and differences in society. & Trans. Associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services. If the individual is likened to a wave in the ocean, then the alayavijnana is the unconsciousness (or subconsciousness) of the ocean, providing the continuity of the karmic process. It is important to realize what is meant by the “self” rejected by the Buddha as illusory. By extension, it is making a thing out of a form, a shape, a configuration, a Gestalt, a perception, or an image. Where does the wave end and the rest of the ocean start? What one person does or experiences … What do you see? As long as the wave was unaware of the nature of the ocean, believing itself to be separate and independent of it, it might develop attachments and aversions, fears, jealousies, and worries about its size, its purpose, its importance, its possessions, or its destination. Eastern psychotherapy attempts to dissolve the experience of the self-as-separate entity and replace it with a feeling of interconnectedness, the non-self or selfless Self implied in the Buddhist concept of anatta. Western philosophy deals with Individualism while Eastern Philosophy is related to Collectivism. Vasubandhu understood that every single object differentiated by the mind out of its global and holistic experience is created by this process, including the concept of the individual self, the “I” or “me.” Reifications are little more than delusions, and refer to momentary states remembered from the past experience of the person (whose concept of himself or herself as a separate individual is itself a reification). The person becomes transformed from an isolated and powerless individual struggling against the rest of the world, into an interconnected integral part of the universe. They possess no separate essence, self, or soul that could exist by itself, apart from the component parts and conditions. Cumberland, RI: Primary Point. Freud, S. (1964). Private self-consciousness refers to the tendency to introspect about our inner thoughts and feelings; public self-consciousness refers to the tendency to focus on our outer public image and the standards set by others. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Buddhist psychology is concerned with the alleviation of the unnecessary suffering caused by the delusion of the separate self in human beings in general. Western science has relied on methods for reducing processes to their most elemental level and investigating them in isolation as single variables. Wisdom and compassion: What the Buddha taught. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Yozan Dirk Mosig, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, Nebraska 68849. These potentials exist in the form of “seeds” (bija) (Hanh, 1974, Epstein, 1995). (1961). The same is true of the remaining skandhas—each one is composed of the other four. This radical change is seen as the key to liberation from dukkha, the dissatisfaction and suffering of human existence. New York: Norton. The western view of the ‘enduring self’ refers to the notion that … It is important to realize what is meant by the “self” rejected by the Buddha as illusory. Borrowing an example from Hanh (1988), consider a piece of paper: it can be, because a tree was, since the tree had to be in order to be cut down to make the paper. In terms of cross- cultural studies, cultures had been separated into the western and oriental/eastern spheres; the western generally refers to the European and American countries while the Orient refers to the South-East countries in the globe, including Asia and China. New York: Houghton Mifflin. The gestalt, the “whole,” cannot exist by itself; it does not have a separate self or “soul.” Eastern psychotherapy attempts to dissolve the experience of the self-as-separate entity and replace it with a feeling of interconnectedness, the non-self or selfless Self implied in the Buddhist concept of, Nevertheless, it is not enough for the healthy, liberated individual to eliminate the delusion of the separate self. Richard C. Page. E-mail: mosigy@unk.edu, http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Conceptions_of_the_Self_in_Western_and_Eastern_Psychology&oldid=147072. States or external events the realization that, but there is no (. Am I the complete psychological works of Søren Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and not. Conceptions of the self in human beings can not modify their character recommend going through the 'Must Reads articles... Approaching car and to realize that the self in western and eastern thoughts summary are one with it the cognitive. 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