Chris, The self exists just as all illusions exist. There is no need to 'cling' to it. But nevertheless it exists.
Without a sense of self humans could not function. Realization is NOT to deny self (while still having it of course because there has to actually be a self that denies itself!) but to understand the nature of the reality of the illusion of self. Edgar On Oct 26, 2012, at 8:23 PM, Chris Austin-Lane wrote: > > There is nothing whatsoever to be clung to as 'me' or 'mine.' > > On Oct 26, 2012 5:22 PM, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote: > Edgar, > > He -- your Shakyamuni -- never truly had an "own", and that's the only reason > why he was ABLE to awaken. > > His teachers helped him to be CAPABLE to do so. > > You have no "own", either. > > And, for all your faith in the Universe, I'm surprised that you don't see > teachers as PART of the universe. They are a very CONCENTRATED part of the > universe, which/who/that know(s) just how to stir a Human's feathers, and how > get them to jump. They are thus probably the most compassionate part of the > universe. Hail! > > They are all around you: under your nose even!, as you say. > > Never too soon to sniff them out/in. ;-) > > --Joe > > > Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote: > > > > He did that on his own simply by realizing the true nature of reality > > WITHOUT THE HELP OF A TEACHER. > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are > reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > >
