The Happiness Podcast 51 - How Does One Lose Oneself?
Jun 15, 2020
A thinker explores why trying to lose the self backfires and why awareness can entrench it. Pain and suffering are shown to tighten self-focus, while happiness loosens it. Vivid everyday examples and a Napoleon story illustrate mistaken identity. A gentle teaching method and the image of being danced question who we really are.
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Happiness Releases You From The Self
- Happiness frees you from self-centeredness and dissolves the grip of the ego.
- Anthony de Mello contrasts happiness (which releases you) with pain and depression (which make you intensely self-focused).
Avoid Self-Mortification To Lose The Self
- Don't try to
Understanding, Not Pain, Makes The Self Vanish
- Losing the self means understanding its true nature, not inflicting pain on it.
- De Mello says clear understanding causes the false self to vanish rather than suffering or punishment.