No I , No Problems

1. No I , No Problems The quintessence of Buddhist Psychology of Awakening

2. Introduction • Buddha : The super-scientist of Mind • Discovered the fundamental Cause of Existential dis-satisfaction , anxiety, dis-ease plaguing the mankind after performing experiments for over six years • Outlined the path to eradicate this cause and alleviate suffering

3. Essence of his discovery • संखित्तेन,पञ्‍चुपादानक्खन्धा दुक्खा। • Five aggregates :रूपुपादानक्खन्धो, वेदनुपादानक्खन्धो, सञ्‍ञुपादानक्खन्धो, सङ्खारुपादानक्खन्धो, विञ्‍ञाणुपादानक्खन्धो। • Fundamental cause of suffering ; attachment to these five aggregates ; regarding these as : “This is mine, This I am , This is my self”

4. How does the notion of self arise? • By clinging to form , … to feeling, to perception, …. to volitional formations, …. to consciousness that ‘I am’ occurs, not without clinging. • इमेसु पञ्‍चसु उपादानक्खन्धेसु छन्दरागविनयो छन्दरागप्पहानं, सो दुक्खनिरोधो’ति।

5. How to bring about this abandonment of clinging ? • Cultivation of Mindfulness of these aggregates clearly comprehending these characteristics of impermanence, suffering and non-self. Dispassion Abandoning craving & aversion Dis-enchantment Awakening from the Illusion of personality

6. The concept of Anatta • Theory of immutable soul postulated … due to inability to ‘see’ anicca , and to allay the instinctive fear of extinction at death • Apart from the aggregates no distinct ‘being’ : no forest apart from the trees, no car apart from its component parts etc. • Apparent continuity of identity: illusion created by memory ; gradual change in body doesn’t draw our attention

7. The concept of Anatta • Professor David Loy : • Self is a construct : psychological social Linguistic • Understanding of ‘self-ing’ from recent researches in Neuro-biology : Continuity of background feelings gives rise to the perception of continuity of identity

8. Implications of Anatta • The first fetter: Sakkyaditthi - the mistaken belief in the existence of a person to whom belong the five aggregates • Craving and aversion also have their roots in this view ; The tree of suffering

9. Implications of Anatta • As one is released even a little from the grip of ‘self view’ , pristine characteristics of pure mind, lying buried in heap of defilements get a chance to manifest viz. Loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, equanimity : Healing

10. Concluding Remarks • Core of Buddhist Psychology : Self is a construct , and the root cause of distress • Repression of the fear of extinction at death, and the uncomfortable sense of ‘unreality’ at our core manifests as a perpetual sense of lack of…. • We in our ignorance try to make ourselves ‘real’ by various artifices of wealth, fame, power, …. • Deconstruction of “I” by facing our habitual ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, makes us ‘free’

11. घर घर दीपक जले, लखे नहीं अन्ध है, लखत लखत लखी रहे, कटे यम फंद है| कहन सुनन कछु नाहीं , नहीं कछु करन है , जीते जी मरी रहे ,बहुरि नहीं मरण है||