Self/No Self
Spring 1995 Vol. 11 #2
Spring 1995 Vol. 11 #2
Introduction
Perhaps the most difficult tenet of the Buddha’s teaching is that of anatta, which in Pali literally means “no-self.” This is the ultimate truth to which various skillful means of practice point, and the key that will release us from our suffering.
Features
Joseph Goldstein looks at the concept of self in relation to absolute and relative realities.
Stephen Batchelor offers his understanding of the correspondence between the concepts of no-self and emptiness.
Joanna Macy reveals her own skillful means of moving beyond self and releasing us into action.
James Hillman explores the “psychological state of the nation,” looking at our “group self” and how we relate to the world as a culture.
Mark Epstein explores how a meditative questioning of self might help eliminate the psychological sense of unworthiness prevalent in the West.
Tsultrim Allione describes Tibetan practices that are designed to cut through our attachments to our individual body and mind.
Harvey B. Aronson analyzes the concepts of “self,” “selflessness,” “ego,” etc., and how the meaning of these words changes in different contexts.
Nina Wise tells us a story about the time she met Carlos Castenada, revealing how identity can shift shapes in the most unusual ways.
Barbara Gates confronts her own fragility and fear as she reflects on the vulnerability of her daughter’s new tree frog.
Poems & Not Poems
Reviews
(195 pp., Shambhala Publications)
The Quest of the Warrior Woman: Women as Mystics, Healers, Guides, by Christina Feldman
Reviewed By Janet Keyes
(239 pp., Harper San Francisco)
Meeting the Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self, by Anne Carolyn Klein
Reviewed By Judith Stronach
(307 pp., Beacon Press)
Buddhism After Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism, by Rita M. Gross
Reviewed By Marsha Trew
(365 pp., State University of New York Press)
(279 pp., Shambhala Publications)
If You Don’t Like The News Go Out And Make Some Of Your Own, by Wes “Scoop” Nisker
Reviewed By the Vulnerable Tofu Roshi
(196 pp., Ten Speed Press)
Practice
Andrew Olendzki explains how a challenging—even overwhelming—job can be an ideal practice ground for insight meditation.
The Dharma & the Drama
After a U.S. presidential election, Wes Nisker ponders the fate of nation-states and civilizations, and how we all share in a collective karma.