From the perspective of ordinary awareness-without inquiry or meditative practice-the sense of self feels self-evident -!-. There is a clear feeling of “me-ness,” a conviction that what I am is separate from the world around me.

 

This assumption of separation creates a longing not to be separate. It fuels (addictive) craving and (compulsive) grasping. I see the world through the lens of a self that must defend itself against a threatening world. This requires constant vigilance: sorting what seems safe and good from what seems harmful and bad. I become caught in the cycle of seeking more of what I like and less of what I dislike - the core dynamic of ordinary awareness.

 

Another way of seeing it is to treat the sense of self as a mental construction. Without this construct, separation dissolves, self-concern disappears, and we can selflessly and happily be with all things.

 

The self can be understood as an evolutionary mechanism focused on physical and psychological survival. When our self-image feels threatened, we fear losing status in the group or even being excluded altogether. For our ancestors, exclusion often meant death, so the stakes of defending the self-image can feel enormous.

 

Constructing the “I” is like dancing: the activity is real, but there is no substantial, self-existent entity that we can point to as “the dance”. Likewise with the self: much activity revolves around it, but in essence it is void of entity-ness.

Conclusion: if I’m not here, it doesn’t make sense to protect myself from harm. 

 

This means we can fundamentally rethink violence and safety.