Can we Reinvent Ourselves? A Buddhist View
Date
2018-07-16
Authors
Finnigan, Bronwyn
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IAI
Abstract
Is self-transformation possible and, if so, how can it be achieved? An initial reading of Buddhist philosophy might suggest a simple but perhaps unilluminating answer. The Buddha taught that attachment to self is a central cause of human suffering. It underpins many of the psychological states that detract from our happiness and that we might wish to change. However, the Buddha also taught that attachment to self is rooted in ignorance because there is, in fact, no self. Taken at face value, this might seem to suggest that self-transformation is not possible because there is no self to transform. You can’t change what’s not there.
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Source
IAI News
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Newspaper/magazine article
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Open Access via publisher website