When you are in front of a mobile phone screen or desktop screen, you realize you are reading this article. When you are eating or drinking, you are aware of it. You can even notice the voices heard by you. Then, how about you? Do you realize who you are? You are not your name, race, religion, or ethnicity. These are just social structures that stick to you and can be changed whenever you want. An interesting topic to discuss is the self. Yes, how mysterious he is.
In an ancient civilization about 2000 years ago, Plato founded an academy and it was written there "know thyself". From what I've heard, if a person does not know himself, then he is not allowed to enter the academy founded by Plato. Even in eastern traditions such as Zen and Buddhism, the foremost teaching is self-understanding. Ki Ageng Suryomentaram, a prominent Javanese scholar, once said, "A person who has realized his true self is a person who has attained enlightenment".
In a scientific study related to self-concept, especially in the field of neuroscience, experts say that there is no such thing as a self. It's an illusion that seems to exist but doesn't exist. In a philosophical reflection, the self is something that is not fixed or changing. There is no fixed self-concept. For example, when we are in our first social environment, we use certain self-concepts. But when we move into the second social environment, the self-concept that we use will also change. This is called impermanence.
If you study Zen, you will find an understanding of the self in study and meditation. One of the most important teachings in Zen is the concept of non-self. Here we will see the self as a social form that continues to change, depending on circumstances and situations. This non-self concept has the main core, only the combined elements are constantly changing. In this Zen tradition, the basis of inner enlightenment is the understanding of emptiness and self-transformation. The self is the outward appearance of man, not the essence of man. The deepest core of man is the self-observing consciousness. It is this consciousness that observes all emotions, thoughts, and the human body. Mind consciousness does not have a matter, but is capable of creating material bodies like the brain and other organs. This is called life.
Many do not understand that life was before the mind, emotions, and body. So they only prioritize the needs of the body rather than life. Life is the source of everything, therefore we need to go back to before the self and touch life which is the source of everything (inner awareness). Many people say that a successful person is a person who has a lot of wealth and also a high position. But in the Zen tradition, wealth and position will be the source of one's suffering. Wealth and position will make a person greedy and reverent. This will keep us from happiness and inner peace.
In the Zen view, a successful person can move before the self, or before the mind, emotions, and body. In this way, one will be able to act according to need based on clarity and peace. This is enlightenment. By realizing it all, we will be more open to the intelligence of the universe. Thank you for reading.