Question

Explain the notion of “self” from both a Buddhist and Christian perspective. How do these two perspectives differ? How are they similar?

Answer 1

• The Buddha taught that an individual is a combination of five aggregates of existence, also called the Five Skandhas or the five heaps-
• Form
• Sensation
• Perception
• Mental Formations
• Consciousness
• Generally, the first skandha is our physical form.
• The second is made up of our feelings -- both emotional and physical -- and our senses -- seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling.
• The third skandha, perception, takes in most of what we call thinking -- conceptualization, cognition, reasoning. This also includes the recognition that occurs when an organ comes into contact with an object. Perception can be thought of as "that which identifies." The object perceived may be a physical object or a mental one, such as an idea.
• The fourth skandha, mental formations, includes habits, prejudices, and predispositions. Our volition, or willfulness, is also part of the fourth skandha, as are attention, faith, conscientiousness, pride, desire, vindictiveness, and many other mental states both virtuous and not virtuous. The causes and effects of karma are especially important to the fourth skandha.
• The fifth skandha, consciousness, is awareness of or sensitivity to an object, but without conceptualization. Once there is awareness, the third skandha might recognize the object and assign a concept-value to it, and the fourth skandha might react with desire or revulsion or some other mental formation.
• The skandhas are empty. They are not qualities that an individual possesses because there is no-self possessing them. This doctrine of no-self is called anatman or anatta.
• The Buddha taught that "you" are not an integral, autonomous entity. The individual self, or what we might call the ego, is more correctly thought of as a by-product of the skandhas.
• On the surface, this appears to be a nihilistic teaching. But the Buddha taught that if we can see through the delusion of the small, individual self, we experience that which is not subject to birth and death.
• According to the Buddha, self is not truth. He declared," Where self is, truth is not. Where truth is, self is not. Self is the fleeting error of samsara; it is individual separateness and that egotism which begets envy and hatred."
• He defined self as "that yearning which seeks pleasure and lusts after vanity where as Truth is the correct comprehension of things, which is the permanent and everlasting, the real in all existence and the bliss of righteousness."
• The very existence of self is an illusion,. It is the Self, which through its activity, produces all the wrongs, vice and evil in the world. One can attain truth only when one accepts the self as an illusion. Righteousness can be practiced only when the mind is freed from the influence of egotism. Perfect peace comes only when all the vanity of the self has disappeared.
  
• The Buddha therefore preached that one should aim to remove the very idea of self from the consciousness which is possible only by removing all forms of desires, feelings and sensations through the practice of the eightfold path.
• Christianity sees the self negatively, distorted through sin: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?' Alternately, each human self or spirit is a unique creation by God. The "desperately wicked self" is the sinful self that has chosen to be "curved back upon itself", but ever with the potential of changing and (by God's grace) turning toward "'new life', opened out to love of God and neighbor".
  
• Christians define themselves by their appearance ,intelligence ,abilities and possessions as well as by their relationship with others and the way others look at them. A positive self concept help us to feel good about ourselves whereas a negative self concept makes us feel bad and the fluctuating self concept causes us to feel lost and unsure about everything.
• The Christian “self-concept” begin with the image of God, an understanding of the proper ordering and functioning of the human soul, and a loving relationship with everyone.
• They believe that the self-definitional feedback comes neither from parents nor from peers, but from the Gospel of Christ, the writings of the fathers, and the lives of the Saints.
• Christianity teaches them to value what is truly valuable and learning to let go of those things that are passing away.
• Self-awareness is an area that Christians sometimes feel guilty about, but the reality is that this is how God has made them.
• Self awareness is equated with sin but only as far as it seemed that when Adam and Eve sinned, the first thing they became aware of, was themselves! Thereafter, every single human being has that tendency, to be self aware.
• Christianity says- “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.” Another way of putting that might be to say, “Be aware of yourself and see yourself exactly as you are.
• Christianity defines self esteem completely differently. BIBLE tells us that Christians belief in attaining Self worth and esteem by having a good relationship with god.
• Buddhism and Christianity were both founded by great Spiritual Masters who sought to offer a path to salvation. The terminology they used was often quite different. Also, given the different circumstances they incarnated in, they taught different paths and emphasised different approaches to spirituality.
• Buddhism emphasizes the endless cycle of birth and rebirth and the idea of reincarnation. Christianity teaches we have one life and one chance.
• Like Buddhism, Christianity also encourages followers to take steps to improve their well being. Like Christianity, Buddhism has a strong devotional aspect. This is characterised by faith in the Buddha. This is especially marked in traditions such as Pure Land Buddhism, which stresses prayer to the Buddha.
  
• Both aspire to greater spiritual perfection. Though they may have different approaches they are both seeking a higher spiritual perfection.