UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

1. LECTURE 4:
THE SELF in WESTERN & EASTERN THOUGHTS
Besides a generalobservation of cultural/artistic/principal
differences showing the distinction between western & eastern
concepts of “self”,in this lesson we willalsolook at religious
beliefs and politicalphilosophies that greatly influenced the
mindset of each culture.
A lot of the theories wediscussed before are Western theories so
this time weshallfocus more on Eastern ideas.
Confucianism – can be seen as a code of ethicalconduct,of how
one should act according totheir relationship with other people.
Alsofocused in having a harmonious social life.
The identity and self-concept are interwoven with identity/status
of the community,sharing its prideand failures.
Chun-tzu – a man of v irtue/noblecharacter.Self-cultivation is
important but for him,his properly social relationships are also
crucial.
Confucianism promotes having a “subdued self”:the personal
needs are repressed for the good of many.
Some Quotations:
* “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
* “The moreman meditates upon good thoughts,the better will be
his world at large.”
* “When anger rises, think of the consequences.”
* We have twolives and the second begins when we realize we
only have one.”
Taoism – liv ing in the way of Taoor the universe. Adopts a free-
flowing, relative,unitary,paradoxical view of almost everything.
Taoism rejects the hierarchy (order of command)and strictness
brought by Confucianism and prefers a simple lifestyle.
From this POV it is considered correct not tointerfere with the
spontaneity or alter it by any means, expressed by ‘wu wei’
(inaction as in abstention of any action opposing nature).BUT Wu
wei’ does not signify not acting at all,but rather not forcing things
on their way.
The self is not just an extension of the family/community,but it is
alsopart of the universe.
The ideal self is SELFLESSNESS,but NOTforgetting the self but
rather living a well-balanced life with society and nature,being
open and accepting change,forgetting prejudices and egocentric
ideas, and thinking about equality.
The ‘Three Jewels of Tao’ refer tothethree virtues of taoism:
1 ) compassion, kindness, love
2) moderation,simplicity, frugality
3 ) humility,modesty
Some Quotations:
* “Clay is shaped intoa bowl, but it is the empty space that makes
it useful.”
* “Sentiment changes – truth is eternal.”
* “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
* “Nothing is softer and more flexible than water.Yet noone can
resist it.”
Buddhism – the self is an illusion, born out of ignorance,or
trying tohold/control things, or human-centered needs. Therefore
the self is a source of suffering.
It is our quest toforget about the self, forget the cravings of self,
break the attachments you have with theworld,soy ou may attain
Nirvana.
The Buddhist conc00ept of no-self (Anatta),( “non-self” or
“substanceless”) – in Buddhism, thedoctrine that thereis in
humans nopermanent, underlying substance that can be called
the soul.
THE 4 NOBLE TRUTHS OF BUDDHISM
1 . The Truth of Suffering – old age,sickness,death,failed
expectations.
2. The Truth of the Origin of Suffering – roots of ev il: Greed,
Ignorance,Hatred)
3. The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering – toend suffering,one
must be liberatedfrom attachment.
4. The Truth of the Path tothe cessation of Suffering – identifying
the way toright understanding; judgment; speech; action; effort;
concentration;etc
Some Quotations:
* With our thoughts,we make theworld,”
* “You willnot be punished for your anger, you willbe punished
by your anger.”
* “A painfultruth is always better than a hidden lie.”
* “Happy people buildtheir inner world.Unhappy people blame
their outer world.”
The self is NOT the focus of Eastern / Asian philosophies.They
always believethe self tobe part of a bigger context/narrative/
perspective.
In striving tobecomea better person,one does not createa self
abov e other people, RATHER, a self should be beneficialtohis
community as wellas in order and harmony with everything else.
*
If y ou would look at the Western perspective (our past
discussions),we alsoconsider the role of the environment/ society
in those topics but their purpose of relating it are different.They
always put the self forward as the primary/most important figure.
In Western thought,they consider the self as INDIVIDUALS in a
way that you are distinct from another person,etc.
In Eastern thought, you see theother person as part of
y ourself,as wellas what you create.Everyone is interconnected
with specificroles.
Westerners may seem tohaveloose association or even loyalty to
their groups.Competition is the name of the game andthey are
straightforward and forceful in their communication as wellas
decision-making.
Eastern or oriental persons look after thewelfare of their groups
and v alues cooperation. They would be more compromising and
not directly express their ideas.
In the case of the Filipinopeople, we both possess western and
eastern influences due tocolonization experience and other
complicated events in our nation’history.
There are alsov arious ethics among provinces and regions,etc. #