Not Me. Not Mine. Not Who I Am.
I listened to another great talk last night by Guy Armstrong. It’s on the teaching of “Not Self,” which as Guy says, “is one of the central teachings of the Buddha and one of the most liberating…but also one of the most difficult to understand.”
He does a beautiful job of explaining this teaching in very accessible language. For example, Guy tells the story of the Buddha instructing his followers by asking: “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: This is mine. This I am. This is myself?”
Which Guy paraphrases as the Buddha asking: Do you want to pin your happiness and your identity on what is impermanent, unsatisfying and subject to change? And then he says: Why would we do that?!
I love the conversational way Guy approaches these teachings. But the part of the talk I like best is when he says:
“This formulation of the Buddha’s… This is mine. This I am. This is myself ….is a very helpful way to notice our experience because we can turn it around as he did himself.
“The Buddha asked, What is the right way to understand it?
“Then he said: All forms should be seen as it really is with proper wisdom thus: This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself.”
To which Guy adds: “This is a practice pointer. This is not just intellectual speculation.
“When you get caught up as taking some aspect of experience as yourself or as belonging to you, try saying: Not me. Not mine. Not who I am.
“See if you can tune into that with proper wisdom thus: Not me. Not mine. Not who I am.
“Just try it. Just drop those three little phrases in when you feel like you’ve identified with something. And see.
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(Click here to listen)