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July 24 - August 8, 2022
This may be a difficult point to grasp, chiefly because we've mistaken the process of thinking as a genuine
Mistaking the voice in our head for a thing and labeling it “me” brings us into conflict with the neuropsychological evidence that shows there is no such thing. This mistake—this illusory sense of self—is the primary cause of our mental suffering. What's more, I contend that it blocks access to the eternal, expansive thread of universal consciousness that is always available to us.
these studies indicate that when actions or facts arise from someplace to which the left brain does not have access, the interpretive portion of our mind will simply explain them. Again, this explanation may have nothing to do with reality.
This is also what the spiritual traditions of the East have been saying for over 2,500 years. These traditions, and Buddhism in particular, state unequivocally that the idea of self is a very convincing fiction. Further, they suggest that realizing and accepting that the self is a fiction can lead to the end of suffering.
Our association of our true self with the constant voice in our head is an instance of mistaking the map (the voice) for the territory (who we really are). This error is one of the biggest reasons the illusion of self is so difficult to see.
This awareness of the interpreter can profoundly change how you experience the world. In addition, when you begin to observe the interpreter, you find that you make fewer judgments and can take your judgments less seriously. You know that they just happen.
This is consistent with what Buddhism, Taoism, and other schools of Eastern thought have been saying for thousands of years: the self we think of as “me” is an illusion, an inference. Based on what I have presented so far, I hope you can see that several studies in neuropsychology are now suggesting the same thing. To be clear, saying the self is an illusion doesn't mean that it doesn't exist at all, but rather that it's akin to a mirage in the middle of the desert. The vision of the oasis is real, but the oasis itself isn't. In this same way, the image of the self is real, but when we look at
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The left brain has created this illusion of self by noticing a pattern of categorical differences between you and others and combining those observations with memory, preferences, and the perspective of the “pilot,” who seems to be steering the ship of the brain and body. Our definition of self depends in part on our difference from others. There is no “me” without “not me.”
We create an image of ourselves, split that image, and then suffer when one imaginary image can't live up to that “better” imaginary image. We want to be smarter, more attractive, more successful, etc., and all of these ideas
are our “problems.” The great tragedy here is that we never realize that none of these conditions will ever be met completely to the satisfaction of the self because the self must continue to think in order to stay in existence and therefore will always change the measuring stick—always adding a new “better” to fall short of.
If reality were an ocean, the left brain could only take in one wave at a time. The right brain sees the vastness of the sea all at once. Both of these are a kind of
the ocean is taken in, the ocean does not change its nature; only its appearance changes. But because the right brain is sensing the entire picture including the empty space, rather than just the objects in space one at a time as the left brain does, reality is more closely represented in the right brain. The right brain senses the world in parallel (all at once), while the left brain senses the world in series (one thing at a time).
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. —Albert Einstein
While some accuse optimists of “living in a fantasy world,” being grateful is actually a deep appreciation for reality.
As a matter of background, contemporary neuroscience has one belief above and beyond all others, and that is that consciousness is localized in the brain.
What if the brain is connected to, or a part of, consciousness—rather than a possessor of consciousness.
the idea that consciousness sits behind the eyes and between the ears feels rock-solid for most of us. This experience is tied directly to the illusion of an inner self. These ideas work together, and the result is that it feels like there is a “me” from inside the skull. I hope you are beginning to consider that both of these ideas—individual consciousness and the self—might well be illusions.
