No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism

by Chris Niebauer

When someone approaches you with a “this is the way it is” attitude, you can appreciate that this person is dominated by the left brain, that they are a servant to its master. As a result, there is no need to take their actions or attitudes personally; it's a biological function that they have not yet recognized. This small perspective shift is enough to change how we live with each other and ourselves.

Identifying patterns is a helpful and necessary tool to navigate the world in many ways, but it is also true that by constantly looking for patterns the left brain “complicates” what is perceived in a way that can be unnecessary and unhelpful. For instance, one study involved a simple test where viewers guessed whether a light was going to appear on the top or bottom of a computer screen. Unbeknownst to the subjects, in the test the image randomly appeared on the top 80 percent of the time. Most everyone quickly deduced that it appeared on the top more often, but because the left brain is constantly looking to “solve the puzzle,” it tried to find a solid pattern in the random occurrences. As a result, the subjects only guessed correctly about 68 percent of the time. That number may still sound impressive, but when the test was repeated with rats, which lack our complicated pattern-seeking interpreter, the rats always picked the top, so they guessed correctly 80 percent of the time.5 This is a perfect example of the interpreter spending time trying to find a pattern for a story that doesn't exist. So in this case, the left brain “lost” when compared to rats, and most interestingly, none of the participants had the slightest clue that they were creating patterns that were not there. By seeing patterns that are not there, the mind creates stories that aren't true, and as we've previously discussed, this can lead to unnecessary suffering, anxiety, and depression.

While it may initially sound a little depressing to know that nothing is real in the way we might think it is, you may find a sense of relief in this—like putting down a heavy sack you've been taught to carry your whole life.

In short, complaints turn into the belief that there is something wrong with reality. This often snowballs, as one complaint brings on a wave of emotion that influences other beliefs in turn, and more negative emotions result from those beliefs. All of these unhelpful complaints stem from an overidentification with left brain and the illusory self, for it is only the ego that can object to reality as it is.