fact melts away the fear…
The Image of the Self
by meditative - August 15th, 2011.Filed under: Insights for Mindful Intelligence.
Abstracted from an article entitled “One Dharma”~ Joseph Goldstein
Why do we put so much matter into our conception of “self”? Are we as solid as the “image” we project of “self”? Take an image like a rainbow. Try to recall the last time you looked up and saw one in the sky- or take a few moments to expand and view the short video clip provided. What thoughts arise in association with this memory, or with this viewing? Is there something in and of itself that is actually the rainbow, or simply your conception of its appearance? Or, is this rainbow an appearance arising out of the confluence of different conditions? There is air, moisture, and light arranged in a certain way, and out of those conditions a rainbow appears. But there’s no substantial thing-ness to the rainbow: it’s simply an appearance arising out of conditions.
Each of us, you and I, is like the rainbow. There is, indeed, an appearance of “self”, and on that level of appearance, self exists- just like the experience of what we call “rainbow”. On the relative level, we do relate to one another as individuals. So it’s not to deny the appearance of self, but to realize that it is only an appearance. It is this insight of “seeing through” that helps us to understand the interdependent conditions that are giving rise to the appearance itself…
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