SELF & SELF VIEW

The distinction between Self View (Sakkaya Ditti) and Self (Sakkaya) is known with wisdom. The delusive notion of permanent, pleasant and self nature in the world can be related to reflecting on a dream when one is awake taking such experiences as real. A person is able to reflect on a pleasurable experience of a dream for instance, while knowing that it was a dream and therefore without being attached. Similarly, when the notion of self is known, all worldly experiences become mere dreams to the wise person. With such wisdom, the person will not go along with worldly experiences interacting with persons or things, taking them as those that exist for real, beyond doubt. 

If we consider the relationship between the Buddha and Devadatta for instance, as said in Sutras, we understand the extent of Buddha's compassion towards Devadatta. It doesn't mean that the Blessed one was ignorant about the monk and what people thought of him, yet he didn't even speak about his destiny in making, to be born in Hell (Niraya), until his death. Importantly, the Buddha did not find him to be a problem, instead identified the defilements that afflicted him and therefore maintained his compassion to the highest level.

We often sympathies with a good person but not the one who is afflicted due to defilements. In other words, we tend to make judgements based on personality differences. If we identify the issues in terms of defilements rather than in the personalities, we would rather sympathise the one troubled by defilements and not the other, as we find that it is not an issue with the person but the defilements that he is tormented with. The person who sees the danger of defilements in that manner is said to be the wise one who is not caught up with the self view, though such person is still bound to go along with the notion of self.

If we can develop our awareness of the consequences of defilements in troubled people rather than the personalities, we can be more empathetic towards such people or things. For instance, parents of a child with some disability extend greater love and affection to that child than to a normal child, similarly if we identify that the issue is in defilements, our focus shifts towards it rather than the person so we do not reject the person. This is why the Buddha did not reject Devadatta knowing his persistent weaknesses as a person. The Blessed one’s compassion stood out in the absence of any self view. 

For a person with wisdom self view does not take effect. If not, it is not unusual to find a person who is bad and things that are bad or alternatively a good person and good things. We just get dragged in to making such judgements without understanding the role the defilements play. If we clearly identify defilements as the cause, self view can be transcended. It is like experiencing the dream while one is awake without taking it as real.

If the issue is the persons defilements we need to be more compassionate to the person. The moment it becomes a personality issue, it affirms that there is me and a person out there. The assertion that that both me and the person exists is proof to understand that the self view is in play where we always tend to find weaknesses and become critical of a person. Defilements do not arise in manifestation of the world so long as the self does not exist. If the issue of defilements can be identified it should in essence make way for compassion and loving kindness, therefore one ought to focus on ways to relinquish defilements so that the person can transcend self measures making way to transcend the self view.

Such person continues to be considerate developing loving kindness without looking for issues of a person. He or she attempts to fix an issue as and when it is evident, without looking for further issues and to establish that the person with issues, exists. Where a weakness is seen it is not unusual to find further issues flowing in. As soon as we see a weakness, we ought to deal with it as defilements and move along to transcend it.

As said before, the common practice is to associate so called good people and to avoid bad people due to our habit of being judgmental. Weather we see someone or something as good or bad it’s a personal judgement, however, if we observe the nature of defilements as the cause for those, we would not see it as a personality issue and thus work on the defilements that torment the person.

We need to build our awareness of personal weaknesses to address them identifying the causes. If they are not identified correctly we will continue to hold on to the notion of self. 

(Excerpt from a discussion conducted by Ven. Alawwe Anomadassi Thero.)