The burden of self.
No self, no attachments, no suffering.
Buddhism teaches us that we are all part of a greater whole and because of this the "self" is an illusion and does not exist. We are all streams of consciousness that are interconnected and interdependent, with no distinction between us. However, our ego does not want to believe this. Our ego wants us to be special, unique and separate.
I think the ego creates this sense of self, to enable us to survive and navigate the world, that is its purpose. But with a lack of self awareness, we allow the ego to dominate our lives. We begin to believe that identifying as this or that, will make our lives better and more complete.
As Eckhart Tolle wrote..."The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. ".
I think these things help us to create an identity, which satisfies our ego but in so doing, invites suffering in many different forms. We never quite achieve all the desires listed above, but ironically, this suffering can also fuel the ego. We can then identify as being an individual who suffers. Whatever methods the ego employs, the illusion is that we are a separate 'self', independent from others.
To end all this suffering, the teachings point us to becoming a 'nobody'. This will appear as a weakness to the ego, but to be a nobody is to liberate oneself from the burden of maintaining a 'self'. It is to let go of the endless thoughts required to create the illusion. This, I think, gives us the opportunity to experience the space between thoughts, the stillness, where true reality lives. This spiritual truth contradicts our contemporary culture and the way it conditions people to behave.
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