Jung, Buddha, and Me

In The Beginning…

Understanding ‘Self’, or “I’, and the nature of identity is the core of Buddhism and Jungian Psychology. I have been a devotee of both, and the Dharma and modern philosophy certainly but heads occasionally. While both traditions offer us insights into human consciousness and suffering, their approaches to understanding the nature of self differ significantly.

Buddhist Teaching on Non-Self

Buddhism fundamentally teaches the doctrine of anatta (non-self), which asserts that:

• There is no permanent, unchanging self or soul
• What we perceive as "self" is a collection of constantly changing physical and mental elements (like the Bluebottle}
• The belief in a fixed self is considered a primary source of suffering
• e.g. The “I am not good enough” belief sparked my dormant alcoholism

According to Buddhist teachings, our attachment to the idea of a permanent self creates suffering through:

• Clinging to impermanent phenomena
• Creating false identifications
• Perpetuating cycles of craving and aversion

As Luna Kadampa says in “Meditating On The Emptiness of Self”, ’There is something quite strange about the inherently existent I. If we do not investigate it, it will appear all the time and even in our dreams we shall grasp at it; but as soon as we actually examine it, it becomes very unclear.’