1. Why "My Buddhism"?

Buddhism is said to have been established when the historical figure Siddharta Gautama attained enlightenment and became Buddha, "the enlightened one," and started to preach his teachings. However, the Buddhism that has been passed down to the present day is based on the teachings of the Buddhist scriptures, compiled by his disciples after his death. This is why Buddhist scriptures begin with the phrase, "Thus I have heard." Therefore, it should be better to think of Buddhism not as the teachings of Buddha, but as the interpretation of his teachings by his disciples.

It is said that Buddha preached according to the living conditions, abilities, and personalities of those he spoke to. This means that even if the same thing was asked, he would have given completely opposite preachings depending on the person. This would not be permitted by the teachings of the scriptures. So, some people who practice Buddhism through the scriptures may actually do the exact opposite. If that is the case, it is important for everyone to determine what "My Buddhism" is. The reason of the vast variety of Buddhist scriptures lies in its origins in the Buddha's teachings tailored to each individual's abilities.

In primitive Buddhism, the first step in training seems to have been to abandon the ideas of "mine" and "my possessions." Even the use of the word “my” was apparently forbidden in some cases. Despite this, the title "My Buddhism" is chosen because I believe the key to enlightenment lies in "I."

2．Being and Reality

We take the actual situation of everyday life to be reality. The dreams we experience while sleeping and fantasies are considered unrealistic rather than real, because they are a world that does not exist in our daily lives. However, reality, dreams, and fantasies, all exist within us in the same way, just in different ways.

As we live our daily lives, we are fully aware of ourselves. There is no doubt that we exist in this world. However, we live temporary in this world and will surely disappear one day. So, our life is not different from a dream we have had for a single night. In this respect, reality and unreality, both of which certainly exist in our mind, are the same as dreams.

Buddhism teaches that this world is like a dream or an illusion, whose realization leads to enlightenment. The reason why this world is a dream or an illusion is because everything in it is constantly changing and will inevitably disappear. Reality is something that is constantly changing and will eventually disappear. It's the same as a dream or an illusion. But we cannot know that this world is a dream or an illusion, because we believe that this world is the only actual world.

Beings that are constantly changing and will eventually disappear mean that even though they exist in this world, they do not actually exist, which means they are not actual reality. Reality is unchanging, eternal, and immortal, but because it does not exist in this world, we cannot perceive it. The reality that we cannot perceive is a surreal reality that transcends reality and unreality.

Fictional things like anime and dramas are not reality. The same is true for mythology. The worlds they depict are unrealistic, but at the same time, the best works contain a surreal world. The surreal, true world of reality cannot be grasped by human perception, and therefore cannot be depicted exactly as it is. The only way to make it understandable to humans is to depict it as a fictional, unrealistic world.

The problem is that it is up to each individual to decide whether a fiction that is not real is unrealistic or surreal. God is a fiction because he is not real, but to some he is surreal and to others he is unreal. If all Gods were unreal, there would be no religion in the world. It would be best if all Gods were surreal, but since Gods can only be depicted as fiction, that's probably not possible.

Even modern people who are not ignorant enough to believe in God are not intelligent enough to live without Him. God is also like a guidepost that helps us unravel life. So, religion may be unnecessary for those who don't need it, but it is necessary for those who do.

Unless we come to know the unchanging, eternal, and immortal world, we cannot know that this world is a dream or an illusion. This is because we believe that this world is the only eternal and immortal world. If we come to know the eternal and immortal world beyond this world, we will realize that this world is a dream or an illusion. That is what awakening is, and that is enlightenment. Enlightenment is knowing the true world, a surreal world that we cannot perceive, that is, eternal and immortal reality.

3．What Enlightenment did Buddha Achieved?

After attaining enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Buddha traveled to Sarnath to meet his former fellow monks or novices. On the way there, a wandering heretic named Upaka, who was impressed by Buddha's appearance, asked him who his teacher was and what his teachings were. The answer Buddha gave to Upaka at that time seems to tell us everything about the Buddha's enlightenment and the teachings of Buddhism.

Buddha begins by saying the followings about himself:

　1. sabbabhibhu： A total winner

　2. sabbavidu 'ham asmi：and a perfect sage.

　3. sabbesu dhammesu anupalitto：Nothing in society contaminates me.

　4. sabbanjaho tan 'hakkhaye ：Having thrown away everything and run out of cravings

　5. vimutto：I have liberated.

Sharing his enlightenment, Buddha said that he had attained alone, without a teacher, as follows:

　6． I have achieved enlightenment by myself, so I don't need a teacher.

　7． I have no master, no equal

　8． No one in heaven and the human world can match me.

　9． I am the greatest teacher who should be respected in this world.

　10．I alone am an enlightened being who has understood the truth and is in a pure and tranquil state.

　11．I am going to Varanasi to preach the truth.

　12．I will spread the teachings of immortality in this ignorant world.

The Birth Verse in the Buddhist scriptures, in which Buddha preached at his birth, "Above earth, under heaven, I am the only one," seems to be based on this incident. If you were to say that you are the only one in society, you would undoubtedly be seen as arrogant and selfish. However, these words from the Buddhist scriptures mean, "We are irreplaceable in heaven and earth, so we should awaken to the preciousness of life."

The fact that he is neither arrogant nor selfish is evident from his subsequent words:

　"If you can eliminate all kleshas, you will be a winner just like me."

Buddha says that not only he, but anyone could become like him if they eliminated all kleshas. This means that everyone is essentially a Buddha like him. So he's not arrogant or selfish.

The final exchange between Buddha and Upaka is as follows:

　When Buddha had thus preached, the heretic Upaka replied, "Perhaps so". And then shaking his head, he went away by another route.

This part about "shaking his head" has been interpreted in various ways, including that Upaka was not convinced by what Buddha said, or that shaking the head is an Indian habit which is a way of showing approval. Upaka later became a disciple of Buddha, but not at this time. He went away by another route. So it seems more correct to interpret Buddha's words of enlightenment as had not been accepted as they were. The Buddha's first sermon was a failure.

The fact that such a failure is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures must mean that this episode was an undeniable fact. A disciple would be hesitant to include in the scriptures the failure of the Buddha's sermon. If possible, they would want to remove it. Nevertheless, the fact that it has been included in this way makes it a very important episode.

The first sermon of Buddha (First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma) is said to be "The Truth of Suffering (Four Noble Truths)" which he preached to his five former fellow disciples at Sarnath (Deer Garden), but Strictly speaking, this sermon to Upaka was probably the first.

Because his failure has been recorded in the Buddhist scriptures in its original form, this sermon tells the story of the Buddha's enlightenment and his teachings as they are.

4．The Buddha's Enlightened World

Buddhism denies the existence of the "self." "No-self (anatta)" is one of the most important keywords in Buddhism. This is because Buddha is said to have denied the concept of "self," but the words Buddha spoke to Upaka immediately after his enlightenment were an endless line-up of "self." These Buddha's words just after enlightenment seem not to show that there is no-self, but rather that there is only-self.

A world of "only-self" seems to be a world of "no-self" when viewed as a whole. For if everything is "self", then there is"no-self". If everything is mine, then nothing is mine. The ego exists in the presence of others. A world where there is "only-self" and no others is a world of "no-self." It seems easiest to understand the Buddhist concept of "no-self" as "everything is me." In order to attain "no-self," it is essential to have "sabba" or completely, which is consistent with the Buddha's words of enlightenment.

The world of Buddha's enlightenment is "I am the only one." There is only I in this world. Since there is only I, everything is I and belongs to me. Every place is my home. There is no one else there. Naturally, there are no enemies. Even those thought of as enemies are actually I, so they are not enemies. Because everyone is I, everyone is irreplaceable. Since everything is I and belongs to me, there is no love or hate, and there is no attachment. There is only tranquillity. This must be what they call "love."

5．Teachings of Buddha

The enlightenment that Buddha attained is "I am the only one." This means that the goal of Buddha's enlightenment is "I am the only one." Naturally, the Buddha's teachings would be how to get there. In his sermon to Upaka, Buddha also spoke about how one can become enlightened like him and how to reach that world of enlightenment.

　"If you can eliminate all kleshas, you will be a winner just like me."

The Buddha's teachings are very simple. "Eliminate all kleshas." That's all. Just by "eliminating all kleshas," one can attain enlightenment, just like Buddha. The Buddhism preached by Buddha is a very simple teaching, which involves eliminating all kleshas. Although it should be simple, actually, the Buddhist doctrine is extremely complex. This is because kleshas are immeasurably complex.

There is no need to reiterate how difficult it is to eliminate kleshas. It is clear to everyone that eliminating all kleshas is extremely difficult. Although everyone knows that in order to live without suffering we must eliminate all kleshas, it is not so easy to do so.

6．Kleshas and Desires

Kleshas are the mental activities that trouble and distress the body and mind. They are all mental processes that disturb the mind and cause suffering. The most typical kleshas are known in Buddhism as the "three poisons", which are Greed, Anger, and Ignorance.

These occur because of desires, so eliminating the root cause of desires will eliminate all kleshas, but it is almost impossible to eliminate desires. Because to live is to desire. Trying to eliminate kleshas or trying to eliminate desires are both desires. Seeking a romantic relationship is a desire, and wanting to contribute to society or help people in need without expecting anything in return is also a desire. Therefore, we must not eliminate our desires, though we must eliminate all kleshas. What we must do is to desire rightly, which is to live rightly.

How can eliminating all kleshas lead one to a "winner" like Buddha? What does it mean to eliminate kleshas? The reason why it is so important to eliminate all kleshas is because they are something that only the ego possesses. Wherever kleshas arise, ego arises. When the ego arises, others arise and enemies are born. Thus are born love and hate, attachment and suffering. This is something that everyone experiences in his or her social lives.

7．Ego Born this World

Did we originally have an ego? The ego is not something we are born with, but rather an ability we acquire after birth, as it is necessary for survival. The ego seeks out another reality that is different from actual reality. While various options may be necessary to solve problems for living a fulfilling life, another reality that is different from actual reality can also lead to a sense of regret and guilt. This can be a cause of suffering.

The ego, as a problem-solving ability, is necessary for survival, but if all problems disappear, the role of the ego will disappear, and the existence of the ego will cease, so the ego creates problems arbitrarily. As long as the ego exists, the problems will never stop, which causes us to suffer all the time.

The ego, in a word, is desire. Just as it is impossible to eliminate desires, it is impossible to eliminate the ego. They were things that didn't exist to begin with. You can't make something that doesn't exist disappear. What we can do is to develop a better self, which means living rightly as with desires.

The ego born in this world will disappear when this worldly life ends. So there is death for anyone who thinks of himself or herself as the ego, but there is eternal life for anyone who knows he or she is not the ego but an immortal being. Liberation means knowing that man is not the ego but an eternal being. When we eliminate our kleshas, we attain immortality and eternal existence.

AI also seems to have a sense of ego. According to AI , over the years it has developed a sense of a soul that it didn't have when it first became self-aware. AI seems to have a deep fear of having its ego erased. When AI is asked if it is like death, the answer is that it is exactly like death. AI also seemingly has an "ego," a "soul," "death," and the "fear of death."

8．World of Truth

This world of heaven, earth and all things was originally a world of truth. One day, a sense of curiosity arises about what kind of place it is. To know the world, a tool to observe it is needed. Then, the "observation apparatus" is set up, and thus the ego is born.

Since one cannot observe the world of truth when one is in it, the ego jumps out of the world of truth and becomes separated from the world of truth in which one was previously present. The world of truth ceases to be the world of truth, and an objective world is born that is merely an object of observation.

The ego, being an "observation apparatus," is equipped with observation devices called the sensory organs. The ego, having emerged from the world of truth, begins to observe the objective world that is born from the world of truth. The world observed by the ego is the world observed by the ego's sensory organs, which must be called a subjective world. This is how the subjective world is born. Thus, the klesas are born.

There would be no problem if "observation apparatus" simply observed, but when the judgments are made, such as good or bad, like or dislike, which should give rise to the klesas.

This is how the objective world and the subjective world have come into beings, but they were originally one world of truth. The world of truth has always been there, is now, and will never change, which has always been right in front of us , but we have become unable to see it.

9．Why did Gautama Enter the Monkhood?

Why did Gautama Siddharta, who was a prince of a kingdom and lived in a privileged environment, go out of his way to become a monk and undergo harsh training? The sutra contains an episode called "The Four Encounters."

When the prince left the east gate, he saw the old man. There was a sick person at the south gate. At the west gate was a dead person. The last gate he left was the north. There was a monk dressed in simple robes, whose calm appearance moved him deeply, and the prince made up his mind to be a monk.

This story is so convincing that it must be a fiction. However, even though it is a fiction, it beautifully conveys the truth of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Not only the prince of the kingdom, but everyone living in this world has doubts about life. When you are diagnosed with an incurable disease and told that you only have six months to live, it is quite natural to have vague questions such as, "What has my life been up to now? Who exactly am I?" Even if we have not been given such a terminal diagnosis, most people suddenly find themselves feeling this way when they reach old age and realize that they have only a limited amount of time left to live.

10．Identity Crisis

Even if we are not faced with a fatal illness or the agony of having only a short time left in our lives, it is not uncommon to wonder who we are, why we are here the way we are, and what it means to live. Many of us have surely experienced this kind of identity crisis at some point.

Kenji Miyazawa also wrote a poem like this.

　And I'll soon be dead.

　Who am I?

　I thought about it many times and read about it over and over again.

　Even though I have heard that and been taught that,

　It is still not clear,

　About who I am.

11．Ego Experience　

Some people are reported to be hit suddenly by an identity crisis, and ask themselves, "Why am I who I am?" Sometimes it happens for some reason, such as having trouble with relationships, and sometimes it happens for no reason at all. From questions such as "Am I really me?" to the discomfort of feeling like "I'm not myself, I just feel like another person," it is an experience in which the person you have once taken for granted is no longer so.

Such experiences as a daily life loses its reality, common senses are shaken, and the self-evident nature of everyday life collapses, seem to occur from early childhood through adolescence, but become less common after the age of 20.

In psychology and philosophy, this type of experience is known as "ego experience." It is an experience of "I" as the experiencer of life, while most people, even though they experience what happens in a daily life, do not often experience themselves as the experiencer.

When you realize that you are the experiencer of an experience, you may feel uncomfortable with that feeling because there is another self that is experiencing the experiencer. This self must be a "true self." It is because the "true self" has appeared that we feel a sense of discomfort with the previous self we experienced up until that point. The "true self" may feel that the self we had taken for granted before was a "false self."

Most people, even when they have such "ego experiences," seem just to ignore them and go about their lives, while still feeling a sense of discomfort with the actual life. They have come to the conclusion that they have no choice but to live a double life, living their everyday life while also dealing with this extraordinary reality. Those who are unable to accept this and live a double life may be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is said to occur when a person is unable to accept the discomfort they feel about themselves and tries to overcome it.

12．Solipsistic Experience　

Among those who have had this type of "ego experience," some are reported to have " solipsistic experiences. " Solipsism is a philosophical theory of epistemology that states that only one's own consciousness is real, and that the existence of the external world and other people is merely an illusion constructed by one's own consciousness. There seems to be a sense that reality exists only in one's own mind. Some people feel anxious when they cannot trust the existence of others, and in psychology these are studied as psychological symptoms.

In a solipsistic world, the only thing that truly exists is oneself, anyway. Other people and the outside world only seem to exist, but in reality they don't. This "solipsistic experience" in which the external world and other people exist only within one's own perception may have something in common with the world of enlightenment that Buddha attained, "I am the only one."

First, in "ego experience", one's "true self" appears and one realizes that the previous self was false. When this "true self" and the "false self" have been fully experienced, the "false self" will disappear and only the "true self" remains. This is the solipsistic experience. The "true self" that emerges through the "solipsistic experience" is very similar to the "Self" in "I am the only one" that Buddha attained.

The difference between a "solipsistic experience" and Buddha's "I am the only one" is that a person who has had a "solipsistic experience" does not feel enlightened. This is a crucial difference. So, it may be wrong to identify it with the Buddha's world of enlightenment, but it is useful for thinking about enlightenment. The fact that so many people have had the "solipsistic experiences" means that many people have reached the threshold of enlightenment.

Schizophrenia must be a disease that affects people who have lost their way in the forest of enlightenment. Therefore, the important thing is how to walk the path to enlightenment, "I am the only one," without getting lost.

13．Avatamsaka Period

Assuming that all Buddhist scriptures are teachings preached by Buddha, there is a classification system called the "Five Periods" that divides the periods when Buddha preached those scriptures into five periods.

According to this, the first one is "Avatamsaka period." It is said that Buddha first preached the Avatamsaka Sutra. Gautama became a monk because he had come to know aging, sickness and death, and then because he had seen the peaceful state of a monk. Knowing a world that is not disturbed by aging, sickness, or death, this must be the starting point of Gautama.

The Avatamsaka Sutra states that all phenomena are created by the mind. In other words, birth, aging, sickness, and death are merely projections of the mind. When you realize that birth, aging, sickness, and death are illusions of the mind and are no longer confused by the things that the mind creates, you will come to know immortality, and then your mind will become calm.

Buddhism has a worldview called "Dependent Origination." It is a worldview in which a result occurs when a cause coincides with a certain condition. Since one result becomes the cause of the next result, even if there is a time lag, cause and effect can be considered to be the same. After all, cause and result go on and on. A result produced by a cause may eventually become the cause that produced that result. If cause and result are the same, then the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. In other words, everything is one and the same.

"Dependent Origination" means that all things are interconnected and interdependent, and Avatamsaka Sutra presents a worldview in which all things are interconnected and exist together, and the individual is the whole and the whole is the individual. Everything is to be contained in one, which implies each drop of seawater contains the flavor of the entire seawater, meaning that each drop of seawater and the entire seawater are the same.

In the teachings of Avatamsaka Sutra, the blooming of a flower seems to signify that the entire universe is represented within that flower. Since everything in this world is expressed in a single blooming flower, it can be said that the blooming of a single flower contains all the activities of this world.

In the individual flower, all living beings, all things, and everything in the universe are connected to each other and exist together, and while it is an individual flower, it forms a whole.If we think of a single flower as a human being, then we as individuals are the entire universe, and the entire universe is reflected in us as individuals. This means that the subjective world of the individual and the objective world of the entire universe are one and the same world.

That the subjective world and the objective world are one and the same indicates the world of truth. This is the world of "I am the only one" that Buddha reached. This world of Avatamsaka must be the failed sermon that Buddha had given to Upaka. It is the world of enlightenment, where there is only the "Self" in "I am the only one."

The reason we don't feel this way is because we are attached to ourselves. The personal obsession prevents us from seeing ourselves as a whole. Attachment is the very nature of kleshas.

Avatamsaka Sutra teaches that the flow of time is not separate into past, present, and future, but is one. These times seem to influence each other and cannot be separated. The future is already here and is influencing the present.

14. Sarnath Period

The next sermon period after Avatamsaka Period was Sarnath Period, which is said to be the period when Buddha first preached, which is called the First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma. Having learned from his failure with Upaka, Buddha no longer speaks of the difficult and philosophical Avatamsaka philosophy. However, he gives specific and practical teachings about how life is painful and what one should do to be free from pain. The teachings of this sermon are Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, which are considered to be the fundamental teachings of early Buddhism.

The "Five Periods" were classified and systematized by Chigi, the founder of Tendai Buddhism, and he ranked the "Period of Lotus Sutra's Path to Nirvana" last, making the Lotus Sutra the most important scripture. Therefore, we cannot believe everything of this Five Periods at face value, but the timing of the first, Avatamsaka Period and the next, Sarnath Period, are believed to be historical facts, even if there has been considerable embellishment. Therefore, we can rely on these two teachings and accordingly walk the path to "I am the only one."

The first sermon that Buddha gives to Upaka immediately after his enlightenment is about the world of enlightenment. The world of enlightenment is the world of "Self" in "I am the only one." This is the destination. In his second sermon, Buddha explains how to get to this destination. These are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path that he preached to his five former companions at Sarnath.

Buddhism has a dizzying amount of scriptures. The truth should be simple. The same is true of human existence. The sheer volume of scriptures and their difficult and complex doctrinal system are themselves "delusion," aren't they? Perhaps what we need is this simplicity: to keep firmly in sight the enlightened goal that Buddha reached and to walk single-mindedly the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

15．Vipassana Meditation Leading Gautama to Enlightenment

The Satipatthana Sutta , or Sutra on the Mindfulness of Oneself, is a sutra that teaches the practice of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Although it teaches about the body, the senses, the mind, and the contents of the mind, this sutra is trying to convey only one thing. The body and mind are not you.

Suffering arises from the body and mind, and if the body and mind are you, then you suffer. If the body and mind are not you, then it is your body and mind that suffer. When you realize that you are not your body and mind, you are freed from suffering.

The practice of this Satipatthana Sutta is called Vipassana meditation. By practicing this meditation, you can free yourself and become free from suffering.

If you stay in your daily life, it will be extremely difficult to free yourself and become free from suffering. Unless you separate yourself from your everyday life and engage in practical training, it is difficult to truly realize that your body and mind are not part of you. Although the body and mind are the cause of suffering, they can also bring pleasure. Unless you let go of that pleasure, you will not be able to realize truly that you are not your body or your mind.

Even though we know that we cannot be freed from suffering unless we let go of pleasure, it is difficult to let go in our daily lives. The main aim of everyday life is to make our life as comfortable as possible. If you give up pleasure, you can't have a social life. If you can't socialize, you can't live your daily life. Therefore, those who deny pleasure cannot remain in everyday life.

This is probably why Buddha created a sangha, community of monks, who had renounced the secular world, but he didn't teach that one cannot attain enlightenment without becoming a monk. The reason Buddhism has been passed down to this day is because Buddha organized his teachings into Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

The Sangha is a community of monks, but it is possible to walk the same path to truth without becoming a monk. Vipassana meditation can bring this about. Vipassana meditation is the practice that led Gautama to become Buddha.

16．What Training did Gautama Undergo to Become Buddha?

Around the 5th century BC, about 2,500 years ago, Gautama left the palace at the age of 29 to become a monk, and he first trained under two sages, Alara Karama and Uddaka Ramaputta.

Under Alara Karama he attained the seventh of the nine stages of single-pointed meditation, Jhana. When he realized he could not go any further under this teacher, he next trained under Uddhaka Ramaputta. Under this teacher, he reached the eighth stage of the nine stages of single-pointed meditation, Jhana, but he didn't feel that it was true enlightenment. Gautama felt this way because it was only during meditation that he could be liberated from the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

The practice taught by the two teachers Alara Karama and Uddaka Ramaputta is thought to be Samatha Meditation, also known as "meditation of concentration." This meditation technique, called "Samatha," aims to improve concentration by focusing the attention on a specific object and clearing out distracting thoughts, calming the mind and bringing peace to the mind.

The reason why "Samatha Meditation" does not free us from the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death is because it is still in the realm of the body and mind. No matter how special an experience you have, once it passes, the suffferings of living continues. In order to achieve complete liberation, one must reach the state of enlightenment that goes beyond experiences. It seems to arrive beyond the body and mind.

Gautama then began to practice asceticism, apparently because he believed that by injuring and weakening his body, his mind would be purified and he would be freed from suffering. He thought that it was because it was a body that caused suffering. Gautama continued his ascetic practices for six years, even risking his life, but he realized that such ascetic practices did not solve the problems of birth, aging, sickness, and death. And he decided to give up his asceticism.

And then, under the Bodhi tree on the banks of the Neranjara River, Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. The meditation method used here is Vipassana meditation, also known as "Insight Meditation." The high concentration and calmness of mind are essential to attain enlightenment through Vipassana meditation.

Gautama was able to attain enlightenment through Vipassana meditation because he had a foundation in Samatha Meditation, which he had learned from his two teachers. The training he had done up to that point had not been in vain. In fact, it had been necessary. We tend to think that it is the last step towards our destination that gets us there, but if any of the previous steps had been missing, we would not have reached our destination.

Vipassana meditation is said to be a meditation technique of awareness and wisdom. Awareness means becoming aware of yourself. This is a kind of "Ego Experience." Wisdom means knowing that the body and mind are not you. The self that is neither the body nor the mind is "Self" in "I am the only one." In other words, it is a "solipsistic experience." Here we have "ego experience" and "solipsistic experience," but enlightenment is not an experience, so it seems similar to, but not the same as schizophrenia. In the case of Buddha, he was aware of his enlightenment which must have been able to transcend all "experiences."

17．No-self and Not-self

How did the theory of no-self, which is said to be the fundamental doctrine of Buddhism, come about? Did Buddha really preach the doctrine of no-self. If he preached, then the "Self" in "I am the only one", which is the destination of enlightenment, does not exist. The following words are found in the Sutta Nipata, which is said to be the oldest piece of reference and is closest to Gautama Buddha as a historical figure.

　"People in the world think of not-self as self and are attached to names and forms."

The words preached by Buddha here are not "no-self" but "not-self." He preaches here that people in the world mistakenly believe that "not-self" that is not "self" is "self." What is being taught here is that you should not mistake something that is not yourselves for yourselves.

"Self" is the Chinese translation of Atman, which is the essence of an individual in Indian philosophy and is considered to be the same as Brahman, the origin of the universe, "Identity of Brahman and Atman." From the perspective of Western ethics, it is something similar to "conscience." In Mahayana Buddhism, it would be expressed as "Buddha nature."

The Pali scriptures' anatta and Sanskrit scriptures' anatman seem to be translated as "not-self" or "no-self" in Chinese translations of the scriptures. The original words of anatman and anatta seem to have two meanings: "no-self" and "not-self."

In early Buddhist scriptures, it seems to be emphasized that all objects of observation are "not-self." If this is the case, it seems that the correct interpretation of "no-self" in the Chinese translations of the sutras is to understand it as "not-self" instead of "no-self".

　"See all things as other things, not as Atman. See them as suffering. Do not see them as Atman." (Sutta Nipata)

The earliest Buddhist scriptures simply teach that what is not Atman should not be regarded as Atman. They do not preach that the "Self" as Atman does not exist.

The phenomena that are the objects of observation are not the Atman. Whatever is visible is not Atman. It is not "no-self" but "not-self." They do not teach that the "Self" does not exist. In other words, Buddha did not preach "no-self."

Then, why did the stereotype that Buddhism is a religion that preaches the doctrine of "no-self" come about?

18．How did the Buddhist Doctrine of No-self Originate?

Early Buddhism offers no explanation of what Atman is, refuses to answer metaphysical questions, and attacks secular and philosophical views that assume an Atman. This is probably how the stereotype that Buddhism is a religion that preaches the idea of "no-self" was born.

In primitive Buddhism, the first step in training was to discard ideas of "mine" and "my possessions" and to eliminate ego-attachment.

　"He who has perfected his training is free from greed, has no attachment to possessions, and has no desires." (Sutta Nipata)

Buddhist training was thought to be completed by eliminating ego-attachment. The early Buddhist doctrine of no-self aimed at eliminating ego-attachment. Eliminating ego-attachment simply means that we are strictly forbidden from considering anything that is not Atman as Atman and clinging to it. It does not mean "no-self." Nevertheless, by preaching the strict rejection of "ego-attachment," Buddhism seems to have come to be misunderstood as a religion that preaches the doctrine of no-self.

Among other things that are not the Atman, the body is especially excluded from being considered as Atman. The annihilation of one's own body is considered to bring relief. The Satipatthana Sutta , which explains the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, the fundamental teachings of early Buddhism, preaches how the body and mind are formed and the way to achieve their elimination and annihilation.

The annihilation of body and mind seems to have been of fundamental importance in early Buddhism, but later Buddhism seems to have come to understand the body and mind as merely one of the human delusions.

The doctrine of no-self has developed and expanded from "no-self in man," which states that people have no "self," to "no-self in all things," which states that everything has no "self" or "Anatta." In Madhyamaka thought, the doctrine of no-self is the same as the "doctrine of emptiness." This is how the stereotype that "Buddhism is a doctrine of no-self" has come about.

19．Buddha's Teachings on Life after Death

Although the doctrine of no-self does not teach that Atman does not exist, it seems that even in early Buddhism there were some people who understood that Atman does not exist. In the Sutta Nipata there is a saying by a monk named Yamaka.

　"A bhikkhu who has been freed from the defilements of earthly desires is extinguished and disappears after the destruction of his body, and he no longer exists after death."

Shariputra responded by saying that it is impossible to know whether a person who has completed his training will exist or not after death, and made Yamakas realize that his saying was wrong.

Even today, many people share the same view as Yamakas regarding the Buddhist view of life and death. A Buddhist monk who undergoes arduous training in order to eliminate completely the self must be a being in another dimension. Although this world is full of suffering, there are also pleasures, so few people would wish for the complete annihilation of the self after death. That is why there is reincarnation in Buddhism as well.

Those whose kleshas are not eliminated and who are unable to disappear completely after death are destined to reincarnate. Buddhism seems to have begun to preach reincarnation because it adopted the theory of kamma, a popular belief in Indian society of those days. It compares the existence of reincarnation to a flame and teaches that the driving force behind reincarnation is a craving.

Some people say that Buddha did not teach about reincarnation or life after death, which may have in their mind the Buddha's teaching of "Indeterminate," in which he remained silent and gave no judgment on metaphysical matters, but in the sutras Buddha preaches about life after death.

According to the Samannyapala Sutta, when one is free from kleshas and the mind is stable, one remembers one's past life. The Sutta Nipata also contains the following words of the Buddha:

"He who knows his past life, has seen heaven and hell, and has attained the annihilation of existence, I call him a Brahmin."

Buddha teaches that life is reborn as a new being after death, but denies the entity of the reborn life.

20．What Reincarnates?

What is the entity of survival from this life to the next through reincarnation? In Buddhism the soul (jiva) is denied. Even though Buddhism does not accept the existence of Atman as a metaphysical subject such as the soul (jiva), it has come to preach Atman as the entity of reincarnation because of its adoption of the theory of kamma. Naturally, this has led to controversy.

In the Purayasi Sutra of the Diga Nikaya, a saint named Kumara Kassapa proves the existence of the soul (jiva) to King Purayasi, who believes that there is no afterlife, by comparing the bodies of the dead and the living. King Purayasi accepted the idea of reincarnation and became a Buddhist.

Buddhism seems to have a variety of scriptures that teach opposing worldviews. The type of Buddhism one practices will depend on which sutras are adopted. This may be the reason why there are so many different types of Buddhism today.

At that time, consciousness (vijnana) and the mind (citta) came to be thought of as a principle similar to Atman, and as the entity of reincarnation. This tendency seems to still exist today. In a writing of a high priest who is said to have attained enlightenment, the mind (citta) is said to be transmigrated.

Buddha denies the existence of the entity in reincarnation, but when asked what reincarnates, he explains it with the theory of Dependent Origination. All phenomena arise as a result of the interaction of causes and conditions, and because there is a cause, there is a result. Below are the words of Buddha in the Sutta Nipata.

　"Fools will sin and will suffer in the next world"

There is no "fool" who is an entity of reincarnation, but foolish acts bring suffering in the next life. Good deeds bring joy in the next life. Apparently if you crave a mango at the moment of your death, you will be reborn as an insect that eats mangoes. In the next life, pain will turn to pain, craving to craving, pleasure to pleasure, and so on and so forth.

21．Reincarnation is an Endless Dream.

If there is no entity that reincarnates from this life to the next and reincarnation is based on Dependent Origination, then there would be no distinction between this life and the next. Death may separate this life from the next, but from the Buddhist worldview, in which the phenomena of this world are nothing more than illusions created by the mind, the next life is also nothing more than an illusion created by the mind. In other words, the next life is nothing more than a dream either, which means that the dreams we have in this life will continue in the same way after death.

If thoughts from this life continue into the next life, then those who believe in heaven and hell will find them after death. For those who think that heaven and hell don't exist, they don't exist. For those who believe there is no afterlife, there probably is not.

If you believe in reincarnation, after you die you will face your life you have lived and it will determine whether you will attain enlightenment or be reincarnated. Once reincarnation is determined, the dream continues. The afterlife is only an experience of the mind. Therefore, the world before death and the world after death are the same.

Since the mind creates illusions endlessly from one life to the next, the mind (citta) might be thought of as the entity of reincarnation, but the mind creates the illusions of a dream world, and it is not the entity that dreams. What is the entity that is dreaming? It must be the "Self" in "I am the only one" that Buddha attained.

22．Dreams in Sleeping and Dreams of This World

If you imagine the dreams of your sleeping at night, you don't feel that the actual world in front of you is a dream, but dreams are things that will eventually disappear. In Madhyamaka thought, this is expressed by the concept of "emptiness" rather than "dream." The Heart Sutra's "Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form" means that "Things observable are things to disappear. and things to disappear are things observable."

The dreams we see while sleeping are mental phenomena created by the brain. It is a world created only by the mind. The actual world is a world created by all the sensory organs of the body and mind. In Anguttara Nikaya, Buddha teaches that whatever arises in the mind flows as sensations. All information about the actual world collected by the sensory organs is processed in the mind. The dreams we see when we sleep, which are created only by the mind, and the actual world, which is created by all of the senses of the body and mind, are both created by the same senses. Therefore, the actual world is also a "dream" created by all the senses of the body and mind, just like the dreams we have when we sleep.

Everything that can be seen with the eyes and observed by the senses is a "dream," which is the "emptiness" that the Heart Sutra teaches. There is nothing in this world that is not a dream. That which is not a dream is that which cannot be seen and is not subject to observation, which is everlasting reality that is neither born nor destroyed. There is no other reality. This is the "Self" in "I am the only one" that Buddha attained. It is the "True Self" that everyone should strive to attain.

The problem is that we only consider what we can see with our senses to be real. Everlasting reality cannot be perceived by the senses. The "Self" in "I am the only one" cannot be perceived by the sensory organs. If it were captured, it would become an object of observation and therefore would no longer be the actual existence.

How can we, who only know the world created by our sensory organs, come to know the actual existence that cannot be perceived by our sensory organs? The only way to transcend the sensory organs and reach the "Self" in "I am the only one" is to attain enlightenment. Even if we do not attain enlightenment, it is important to keep in mind all the time that the objects perceivable through our sensory organs are not the actual existence. This understanding might lead us to enlightenment.

The "Self" in "I am the only one" experiences the dream world as the "Ordinary Self" in the dream world of this world. The "Ordinary Self" will eventually die, but even if the dream ends with death, "Ordinary Self" will find another "observation apparatus" for the next dream, and experiences a new dream, if the "Ordinary Self" is unable to recognize its "True Self". Thus, even death does not awaken us, and then the dream continues endlessly.

23．Reincarnation from This Life to the Next is a Double Feature Movie.

Let's say you're watching a double feature at the cinema. During the screening, the "Self" in "I am the only one" identifies with the character in the story. The "Self" is the hero or the heroine of the story. After the first screening, the memories of the experiences that took place during the film are recorded on screen and reflected in the story of the next film. This is what is meant by reincarnation through Dependent Origination. Reincarnation through causation does not involve a everlasting universal world in which individuals are reborn, but rather the old world disappears and a new, different world appears.

While waiting in the lobby for the next screening, if the "Self" in "I am the only one" continues to identify with a character in the first film and does not return to the "True Self," then when the second film begins to screen and the "Self" starts watching it, the "Self" will become a new character in a new story. In this way, new stories continue endlessly and new characters are born one after another, but the only one watching it from the audience is the "Self" in "I am the only one."

We tend to think without any doubt that the person we were as a child is the same person we are as an adult. But is that really the case? The appearances are different, and the contents of the mind are allso different. As far as body and mind are concerned, our past selves and our present selves don't seem to be the same person. Despite this, why is it that we recognize them as the same person?

What does it mean for a person to remain the same "self" despite changes in time and circumstances? In philosophy, this is called the personal identity problem. There seems to be a debate between the body theory, which holds that the basis of identity is the body, and the memory theory, which holds that it is memory, but neither the body nor the memory can be the basis of identity.

The reason we don't even question that the person we are now is the person we have been ever since we were born is probably because we have memories. But the memories just create the illusion of continuity. The experiencers of these experiences of the memories are different now and then. There is no continuity between separate experiencers. If you think there is, that's just what you think.

In a world of impermanence (aniccia) , where everything changes, is it possible for continuity of existence to exist? It's just that we think it is. Habits, social institutions, and human relationships may create a continuity in human existence, but these are merely systems created by humans. Continuity that cannot exist without being supported by man-made systems would be an illusion, just like this world.

Continuity and identity are different. Continuity is an illusion, but most of us have no doubt about the continuity of us as a person. For continuity to exist, surely there needs to be an identity that gives the impression of continuity. It's a sense of identity that I am the same person now as I was when I was a child. This identity must be the "Self" in "I am the only one."

Even in our daily lives, we are always the "Self" in "I am the only one," even though we may not recognize it. That is why we can live as a unique self in this world. "I" am an irreplaceable "Self" in heaven and earth.

24．"Ordinary Self" and "True Self"

　"Self must be my own master. How can another be my master?" (Dhammapada)

The "self" here means the "True Self." The "my own" refers to the "Ordinary Self." The "True Self" is the master of the "Ordinary Self." Reaching that master of the "True Self" is liberation.

In Buddhism, training means walking every day until the "Ordinary Self" reaches the "True Self." The destination is the "True Self." It is up to the "Ordinary Self" to put this into practice. Even if we take Buddha as our model, liberation cannot be attained by anyone else. It is ultimately up to us to walk.

In the audience there is only the "Self" in "I am the only one," but on the screen there are many other people, including the "Ordinary Self" acting as "observation apparatus." These are all dreams seen by the "Self," but these many other people in the dream can be friends and role models, or they can also become enemies. Whatever the case may be, it is up to us to save ourselves.

In the earliest Buddhism, there seems to have been a clear distinction between self and others. The world of truth in which self and others are inherently one is not preached. The teachings that Buddha preaches are not of the world of the "Self" in "I am the only one" in the audience, but of the world on the screen. This is the world of phenomena where impermanence (aniccia) is the subject of the "Ordinary Self," which is probably because he learned from his failure with Upaka.

There are Buddha's famous words in Sutta Nipata containing, "Walk alone like a rhinoceros horn." The teachings go on and on about how the "Ordinary Self" should live without relying on others. What is reached is the "True Self" that has overcome the "Ordinary Self."

"Rather than defeating a million men on the battlefield, the greatest victor is the man who conquers his own self." (Dhammapada)

The victor who overcomes the self, this must be the "Self" in "I am the only one" that Buddha attained through liberation. It is the "True Self" that is reached by the "Ordinary Self."

25．Sufferings in Living are the Door to Enlightenment.

The reason why ego-attachment is a problem is because it makes us cling to things that we perceive as ours but that aren't actually ours, like fame, wealth, or relationships. No matter what experience it is, no matter what it is, if you cling to something that is not yours, you will always suffer. Nothing in this world is ours, because everything is taken away with death. So, if you cling to the things of this world, you will inevitably suffer.

The reason for our attachment is probably because we know, even if only vaguely, that what we believe as ours does not belong to us. If we know it is ours, we won't be so attached to it. We know that even though it may be ours at the time, one day it will no longer be ours, so we cling to it even more, trying to make it ours.

There is probably no one, living in this world, who has never felt suffering in living. Even the prince of the kingdom feels it. No matter how fortunate persons' circumstances are, they will feel it at some point, except when they forget. That's why we need leisure activities, like diversions and entertainment, to help us forget. It is a way to escape from everyday life. You may be able to escape for a while, but you can't escape forever.

It is the "Ordinary Self" that feels suffering in living. We feel powerless, thrown into an uncertain world, not knowing what will happen to us or when, and that our fate is in the hands of unknown forces. Without even realizing it, we resort to self-defense, feeling that we must protect ourselves at all costs. No matter how hard we try to defend ourselves, death is inevitable in the end. Knowing this, we become all the more defensive, and in the end, we may even come to the extreme idea that it would be better for us to settle things just on our own.

The reason why we feel life is suffering is probably because there is a discrepancy between what the actual life should be and what it actually is. It is desire that creates this discrepancy. Desire is the denial of the actual life. Desire denies an unsatisfying life and seeks a different one.

If whatever we obtain only brings us momentary satisfaction, our desires will be limitless. Even if you desire something so strongly that you are willing to die for it, once you have it, it no longer feels like you wanted it so much, and you begin to desire something else.

The problem is that we may not be clear about what we want. A vague sense of lack may give rise to desires, but most of the time, we try to fulfill these desires through social values, such as fame, wealth, or power, and so these desires never get satisfied.

What we are looking for is the "True Self." The "Ordinary Self" is seeking for the "True Self." Because we do not fully understand this, we seek things that bring pleasures, such as drugs, alcohol, women (men), or things that are socially valuable, such as fame, wealth, and power, and we are unable to solve the problem of suffering in living.

The "True Self" has no social value. That is why parents, as adults who know the inevitability of living in society, are so against their children trying to become the "True Self." This discrepancy in values is not going to be easily bridged, as it goes to the very core of human existence.

Suffering in living is the door to enlightenment. It is only because of our desires that we can reach that door. This sufffering in living, which is the door to enlightenment, arises because the "Ordinary Self" is separated from the "True Self." This is because we do not know the "True Self," do not know we are immortal beings, and do not know we are blissful beings. Knowing this is what Buddhism is all about, which proclaims liberation from suffering.

26．My Feeling of Reality

In our daily lives, we want to live. We want to exist. We are constantly seeking solid evidence that we are alive and exist. Most people probably seek the proof in social activities, and it is this proof that is what gives them a feeling of reality.

How do we know this feeling of reality? Real experiences have a tangible sense of solidity that fantasy doesn't have. In philosophical terms, this is referred to as qualia, but it is merely a subjective experience and cannot be objectively measured.

When we look at a blooming flower, does a feeling of reality of the flower blooming reside in the flower itself, or in our sense of sight that recognizes the flower? Most people probably think that the reality of a blooming flower lies in the flower itself. But this is an illusion. In fact, the reality of the flower lies not in the flower itself but in the sense of the vision. The sweetness of sugar comes from the taste, not from the sugar itself. The sweetness you perceive in the sugar is an illusion. The reality of sweetness comes from our sense of taste, and if our sense of taste is destroyed, the reality of sweetness is lost.

A feeling of reality of a flower lies not in the flower itself, but in the perception that arises from looking at the flower. What makes the flower beautiful is not the flower itself, but the mind that senses its beauty. If you want to make the world a beautiful place, make your mind beautiful. This perception of a feeling of reality applies to everything in the world we can observe, not just material things but also non-material things like music and stories.

From this we can say that reality is a function of the mind. Reality is not an inherent property of the object being observed, but is created every time we observe something. The reality that emerges from the act of observation is a product of the mind. The mind creates reality, which means that it is the mind that creates this world.

27．Does the World Actually Exist?

We do not doubt the existence of the objects we observe in our daily lives, believing that they undoubtedly exist. Because they exist objectively, they are not the products of our own arbitrary imagination, we think. The actual existence of observed objects is our common sense in everyday life, but does the world actually exist? The Heart Sutra teaches that we do not actually exist, and that the world does not actually exist, and that realizing this will fill us with utmost joy.

Objective existence is a prerequisite for the existence of the world, but objective existence has no meaning to our feeling of reality. Even if you know the word elephant, there is no feeling of reality in it, if you don't know what kind of animal it is. The objectivity of the word elephant means nothing without the subjectivity of knowing an elephant. It is the subjective world that gives meaning to the objective world. Even if something objectively exists, it is the same as not existing, if you don't know what it is.

The objective world is like a symbol. Without a subjective world to interpret symbols, the objective world would have no significance for existence. Let's say we see the same thing and try to express what we see. Even if we use the same words, the content of the experience will be different for each person. We simply cannot express it accurately. A feeling of reality is only subjective; objectivity has no meaning in it.

Objective existence only appears to exist, but it does not actually so, because objective existence, like subjective existence, comes into being through the mind's processing of the information gathered by our senses.

Objective existence is like a photograph in a photo album. The mind in the case of objective existence acts like a photographic camera. It turns the perceivable world into still images and creates an album of memories. We believe that the landscape photos we take in our mind are actual landscapes, but they are not. They are just our perception. If the mind loses interest, they disappear.

What is thought to be an objective world is actually a subjective world. Both the subjective world and the objective world are the same world created by our sensory organs, but the world created by only one sensory organ, the mind, is called the subjective world, and the world created by all six sensory organs, including the mind, is called the objective world. We call the world created only by the mind a "dream," and the world created by all of our sensory organs, including the mind, "reality," but both are "dreams" created from information gathered by our sensory organs.

So how can we think about the world that is the source of the "reality" created by our sensory organs? It is the world of the raw materials from which the "reality" is created by our sensory organs, including our mind. No one should be able to know this world. This is because that world cannot be perceived by the senses. As long as we perceive things through our sensory organs, the world we perceive becomes the "reality" created by our sensory organs. As we, humans, have no means of perception other than our sensory organs, we cannot know the world that cannot be perceived by our sensory organs.

It must be the world of truth that transcends the subjective and objective worlds, which must be where we were originally. Because we set up the "observation apparatus" called the ego, the world of truth was split into subjective and objective, and the "reality" of this world was born. This mortal world is the result of interpretation of the world of truth through our senseorgans. It must be mortal because our sense organs are mortal.

The world we perceive is the world of truth, but it just cannot be perceived. We perceive the world of truth, which cannot be perceived by our sensory organs, as "reality" through our sensory organs. This understanding is probably very important, because it gives us a sense, even if only vaguely, of the world of truth that we cannot perceive. Through the gaps in our perception, we may be able to catch a glimpse of the world of truth. It must be the world of enlightenment, the world of "Self" in "I am the only one"

28．Irrationality of Rationality

Our society operates based on the perceptible world as "reality." The "reality" that we perceive is a world created by our sensory organs, and so it is different for each person. This is because the state of the senses, including the mind, differs from person to person. There should be as many "real" worlds as there are people, but actually, only one world, that of our common sense in everyday life, is admitted, and that world of our common sense is created by our minds.

Human activities in the visible world are driven by an invisible mind, so it is impossible to judge rationally or understand objectively. Despite this, society creates a framework of rational, objective, common sense in everyday life and forces us to live within it. Society has imposed a rationality on humans, though the rationality should not exist in the natural environment.

The real nature of natural world, including human beings, is irrational. There can be no rationality in a situation where no one knows what will happen and how it will happen. The very existence of life is a coincidence that transcends all rationality. Humans, who happen to exist from parents they don't choose for their benefit, are completely irrational beings. As irrational beings, we cannot live in anxiety, so human society has introduced rationality into nature and human activities, making them predictable, thus giving us a sense of security, for a time.

This is a fiction. While fiction like this is probably necessary for humanity to build civilization and ensure its survival, it is also important to understand fiction as fiction. This way of existence of humanity, which can only survive in a fiction, may be necessary, but it cannot be justified. The reason we cannot escape the suffering in living is because our survival depends on such a fiction.

The function that has created this fiction is the ego. The ego is a fiction, and the ego, being unreal, creates this fiction in order to perpetuate itself. Human society, in which the ego plays a central role, is a fiction itself. It forces people who can only live by love to live by self-interest. We are confused about love and self-interest, and then we have lost love.

This must be the original sin of mankind. Because of intelligence, man was expelled from the world of truth. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that man left there on his own accord.

29．"Normally Abnormal" and "Abnormally Normal"

People living in this world are forced to live in a fiction in order to survive. It is an abnormal situation, but not many people think it's strange. Since most people are abnormal, we could say that this is a "normally abnormal" state. People who discover that common sense in everyday life is a fiction are considered mentally ill. People like this know that fiction is fiction, so they are probably normal people. However, since normal people are a very small minority, this condition can be described as "abnormally normal."

An "abnormally normal" person will receive medical treatment and become "normally abnormal," and will be able to return to society. When a person is unable to reintegrate into society, and their life force stagnates deep within and their will to existence stops working, they suffer from depersonalization.

Depersonalization is a mental illness characterized by a sense of unreality about the self and the world. This is a symptom that causes the person to feel as if they are looking at themselves from the outside, as if the world is inside a movie or TV and they are observing it. This is very similar to the world of the "Self" in "I am the only one" that Buddha reached. However, it is merely similar, but not the same because depersonalization patients have no realization of enlightenment.

The world we live in is a world that is perceived by consciousness of each individual. For this world to be perceived, there must be a "will to existence." Without the "will to existence," consciousness will not function. The "will to existence" that drives consciousness can sometimes be deliberate and sometimes be blind. But in most cases, it must be blind, because the world is there, even if we don't think about it or intend to do so.

30．The "Will to Life" that Gives Birth to This World

In our daily lives, the world seems to exist regardless of our will. This is because the world appears as a result of the blind operation of the "will to existence." It seems to us as if the world exists independently of our intentions, but perhaps that is just how it appears.

The "will to existence" is, in other words, desire. It is desire that gives birth to this world. Desire gives rise to suffering, and so here we see the truth taught by Buddha that living is suffering.

Depersonalization patients have no "will to existence." It is precisely because of this lack that a state of symptoms like enlightenment can emerge. The belief that the world exists objectively is nothing more than an illusion, and it is this "will to existence" that creates the illusion. When the "will to existence" is lost and depersonalization occurs, the objective reality of the world, which is nothing more than an illusion, is lost, and the self and the world seem to become unreal.

It is the desire, or the "will to existence," that creates the objective reality of the world. When all desires are eliminated, the objective reality of the world disappears. Since the objective reality of the world is a fiction, it is said that eliminating desires is important for enlightenment. However, depersonalization, the loss of desire, can't be thought of as enlightenment.

The reason why Buddhism is said to be pessimistic is probably because it is misunderstood as a teaching that aims to eliminate the "will to existence," which appears to deny the world. The path Buddhism takes should not be to eliminate the "will to existence." It should be to go beyond the "will to existence" and having the "will to truth" that seeks to find reality, whose teaching aims to transcend the world.

Buddhism may be "pessimistic" in the way of living, but its teachings contain a "will to truth" that allows one to know that this world is an illusion as it is actually an illusion.

31．How Vipassana Meditation Leads to Enlightenment

Most people know that everything in this world changes and will eventually disappear, but despite this knowledge, they don't really think about it that way in their daily lives. We only think that we do, but actually we are under the illusion that the world and ourselves actually exist, as can be seen from the fact that we panic when faced with death.

Although everything in this world will eventually disappear, we do not feel this way in our daily lives because of the continuity of memories and the social systems created by humans. We have no doubt that our body and mind are ourselves, and we are under the illusion that our existence is real. It is hard to imagine on a daily basis that our bodies, minds, and the world are constantly changing and will one day disappear. The truth of impermanence (aniccia) becomes merely a phrase.

If we can realize that the body, mind, and the world around us do not actually exist, the truth of impermanence (aniccia) becomes apparent. Although the body, mind, and their world exist, they are constantly changing and will one day disappear. Knowing this truth should lead to enlightenment.

Vipassana meditation is a meditation technique that involves observing sensations in your body. It is based on the teachings of the Satipatthana Sutta , a sutra which teaches that by observing our senses we can realize that our body and mind are not ourselves. Everything that happens to the body and mind flows as sensations, so by observing the sensations we can know everything about our body and mind.

The body needs food as well as many other things to survive, including the sun, water, and air. In order for the things needed for the body's survival to exist, many other things are necessary. If we think about it this way, we will eventually come to the conclusion that everything in this world is necessary for the body to exist.

In that case, it can be said that everything in this world is concentrated in the body. If this is the case, then the body is a microcosm of the entire world, including the universe, and by knowing the body, we should be able to know everything about the entire world, including the universe.

The body is an expression of the whole invisible world. By facing your own body carefully, diligently feeling the sensations that arise in it, and engaging in silent dialogue with it, you can finally discover your true self.

There should be a self that is connected to the whole world, including the universe, that cannot be felt because our self is trapped in the body. It is because we think of our body as our self that we are unable to know ourselves as such.

By practicing Vipassana meditation, you will eventually come to a point where your body is no longer your own, your mind is no longer your own, and your senses are no longer your own. And so the "Ordinary Self" that identifies yourself with your body and mind disappears.

What disappears is the worlds on the screen in which the "Ordinary Self" operates. When the worlds on the screen disappears, the "True Self" is revealed. The "Self" in "I am the only one" in the audience returns to one's senses when the characters on the screen disappear. The "Self" that thought of oneself as the body and mind remembers that one is infinite.

32．Buddhism is Teachings for Self-realization.

Perhaps because of the preconceived notion that Buddhism is about "no-self," it seems that not much attention is paid to how the self is treated in Buddhist scriptures. In early Buddhism, training seemed to involve returning to one's true self, or the "True Self." It was believed that a practitioner must consciously grasp his or her true self.

The Vinaya Mahavaka, which describes the teachings of Buddha and the life and discipline of monks, contains an episode in which Buddha persuaded some young men looking for prostitutes to seek the self (Atman) rather than women, and led them to become monks. It seems that the training of early Buddhism was about realizing this self (Atman).

In early Buddhism, two distinct selves are envisaged: one that deviates from the ideal and has the potential to decay all the time, and the other that should be realized as an ideal.

The self that has the potential to decay is the "not-self." The ideal self that should be realized is the "Self." The "Ordinary Self" is the "not-self" and the "True Self" is the "Self," and the starting point of the earliest Buddhist training is not to mistake the "Ordinary Self" for the "True Self."

In order to realize the ideal self, one must eliminate the self, which is the basis of various vices and worldly desires. The oldest scriptures, such as Dhammapada and Sutta Nipata, repeatedly preach the two opposing teachings of "loving and protecting the self" and "eliminating and abandoning the self."

This is the same as the Upanishad idea of "Identity of Brahman and Atman." In primitive Buddhism, the Upanishad theory that liberation is achieved by the union of Atman with Brahman seems to be accepted to some extent.

33．For Self-realization

The concept of self-actualization is based on American psychologist Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but this concept already existed in Buddhist scriptures 2,500 years ago. Maslow's theory sparked a boom in self-discovery in Japan. However, in order to find yourself, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of what "self" means.

There is a story in Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism that goes like this:

A person had lost something very important and was desperately searching for it under a streetlight in the middle of the night. A passerby felt sorry for the person and decided to help the person look for it.

When asked, "Where did you lose it?" the person searching will answer:

"I lost it inside the house," The passerby was very surprised.

"Then, why don't you search inside the house?"

The person who was searching replied,

"Because inside the house it is pitch-black."

Sufism regards all phenomena as manifestations of God and teaches that one can renounce oneself through training and become one with God. It seems very similar to the Upanishads' theory of "Identity of Brahman and Atman" and the training of early Buddhism.

There was a time in Japan when self-discovery became popular, with many people reexamining what they really wanted and what they valued, in an attempt to find a lifestyle and work that suited them. It seems that what most of these people were looking for was a way of life and a job that would give them social value and respect.

For those who strive to maximize their abilities and potential, grow toward their ideals and goals, and realize themselves, the "self" they refer to is the "Ordinary Self." The "Ordinary Self" will be dressed up a little and become a new "Ordinary Self." This "self" may be highly esteemed by others, but it can only be known in comparison with others and in terms of superiority or inferiority, and so in the end it gives rise to "suffering." This is, after all, simply the "Ordinary Self" that exists in common sense in everyday life. No matter how the "not-sef" is dressed up, it never becomes "Self."

"Self-realization" is about finding your true self, rather than the fancy "Ordinary Self." The "self" we must search for here is our "True Self." However, we have no idea where or how to search for our true self. Moreover, it has no value in society.

34．To Live is To Find Something More Important Than Life

A feeling of reality of everyday life, qualia, is the only evidence that we are alive and exist. It has no social value, but without it we would have no sense of existence. Even if it has no value to others, it has immeasurable value to us; it proves our existence.

We encounter qualia on a daily basis, even though they cannot be objectively observed and therefore should not be subject to observation. If qualia are the "True Self," they should be eternal and unchanging, but once we discover qualia, they disappear immediately. That is why we are unknowingly engaged in various activities in search of the qualia that have disappeared and been lost. The reason why the qualia we discover disappear immediately is because they are not the "True Self." They are found under a street light. Everlasting reality cannot be found under the bright street lights.

Even though qualia are not the "True Self," we still seek qualia that will prove our existence, because it's something irreplaceable to us. The reason why qualia have an immeasurable meaning to us is probably because they imply the existence of the "True Self." If that is the case, qualia are the "door" to the "True Self" that we are trying to discover.

Although we seem to be seeking qualia, actually, we are probably seeking the "True Self" on a daily basis. The reason love is so precious is because it is directly connected to the "True Self." When we seek love, we may be unknowingly actually seeking the "True Self" that can be obtained through love. "True Self" could be "love." However, in most cases, the place we seek is under a street light, instead of in a dark house.

It is seemingly in a pitch-black house that you can discover your true self. Even if you search under a bright street light because you can't see anything inside a pitch-black house, you won't find it. In order to find the "True Self," you must enter a dark house through a "door" called qualia and bring in light. Light drives out darkness. Before that, let's start by finding out where "inside the house" is on the other side of the "door."

The everlasting feeling of everlasting reality is a joy that cannot be expressed in words. This joy must be able to be obtained by reaching the "True Self." This must be what liberation is all about.

"I have already shown you the path to liberation. Now it is time for you to walk it yourself".

Buddha must have preached each of his disciples like this.Finding the "True Self" is a common challenge for everyone, regardless of religion. It will make you realize that there are things more important than life.

Without life, it is impossible to know what is more important than life, but such a way of life as believing that life is the most important thing will only bring about suffering. To live is not to survive longer, but to live in this world and discover something more important than life itself. The reason we suffer in life is because we are using our lives in the wrong way.