Cultivating Selflessness

Abstract

With an emphasis on the view component (wisdom-side) of spiritual practices for overcoming the sharp subject–object duality, this chapter initially explores the concepts of self and selflessness. Drawing on Thompson (Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2015), the self is understood as an enacted I-ing process and is dependent on the conceptual schema and the scale of observation. For the purpose of recognizing and overcoming our attachment to the self as an independent existence, the author examines how the I–Me–Mine complex could be a useful conceptual tool. Finally, based on various experimental evidence, the author reveals how meditative stabilization can facilitate the cultivation of selflessness.