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November 15, 2018

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Luce absente, obscuritas obtinet

Light being absent, darkness prevails.

The real self is the one that decided this current existence is the one you currently have. "Why?" might not be important. Finding a "what's needed by true self in this?" Might be. You haven't seen a horse around here, have you? Nevermind, he'll eventually wonder home.

I saw a debate on another forum recently about AN 3.40 arguing over the translation "The self, man, knows what is true or false" vs "The self within you knows, O person, whether it is true or false." As if its not clear either way that you have a self which knows whether wehat you did was true or false, good or bad. Its plainly impossible to get rid of a self, logically, and acripturally. The absursity of trying to use the 2nd translation to argue there is no self. Lol.

From the Wikipedia article
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajahn_Maha_Bua

Bua observes the essential enduring truth of the sentient being as constituted of the indestructible reality of the citta (heart/mind), which is characterized by the attribute of Awareness or Knowingness. This citta, which is intrinsically bright, clear, and Aware, gets superficially tangled up in samsara but ultimately cannot be destroyed by any samsaric phenomenon. Although Bua is often at pains to emphasise the need for meditation upon the non-Self (anatta), he also points out that the citta, while getting caught up in the vortex of conditioned phenomena, is not subject to destruction as are those things which are impermanent, suffering, and non-Self (anicca, dukkha, anatta). The citta is ultimately not beholden to these laws of conditioned existence. The citta is bright, radiant, and deathless, and is its own independent reality.[5]

The fundamental problem that besets human beings, according to Bua, is that they have taken fake and false things as their true self and lack the necessary power to be their 'own true self'; they allow the wiles and deceits of the mental defilements to generate fear and anxiety in their minds. Fear and anxiety are not inherent within the citta; in fact, the citta is ultimately beyond all such things and indeed is beyond time and space. But it needs to be cleansed of its inner defilements (the kilesas) before that truth can be realised.[6]

Bua goes on to attempt to describe the inner stages and experience of the cleansed citta. When its purgation of defilements is complete, it itself does not disappear – only the impermanent, suffering, and the non-Self disappear. The citta remains, experientially abiding in its own firm foundation, yet ultimately indescribable.[7]

The question “Who am I?” Is about our essential nature. Unchanging always. Not subject to change. Aging is perception of change to the body over time. This body is not our true self according to dharma. Likewise, our human identity is not our true self. What is our true self?

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