Self is a reference to the imaginary experiencer of the thoughts and sensations that we experience.

Other people, as we know them, are representations that we built in our minds. We construct characters based on our memories of other people. Memories are interpretations of what we noticed. These characters have personalities. They have our thoughts and feelings attached to them.

In the same way, we construct a character for ourselves.

The idea of self is very useful for our survival. But we get so used to it, that we often think of it as something much more significant than a helpful concept.

Realising the nature of self is helpful. When you feel ashamed, know that it’s just a momentary feeling, rather than damage to a living being. When someone speaks hurtful words, know that nothing can hurt something in your mind unless you allow it to. When you feel judged, know that they are only judging the characters in their minds, and your self is in yours only. Realise that being better or worse than others is just a comparison of these characters in our minds. 

• meditation
• self
• thinking
• thoughts