Andrew Olendzki, Teaching Old-School Buddhism
Andrew Olendzki, a Buddhist scholar, discusses the challenging concept of non-self from the Pali Canon, explaining how understanding it can reduce suffering and foster positive emotions. He details how meditation helps de-personalize experience, leading to a less selfish and more selfless life.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Introduction to Andrew Olendzki and 'Untangling Self'
Andrew's Path to Buddhism and Pali Studies
Reliability of Ancient Oral Traditions
The Buddha's Earthly Personality and Teaching Style
Andrew's Personal Meditation Journey and Its Impact
Understanding the Buddhist Concept of Non-Self
Why Untangling the Self is Crucial for Well-being
Evolutionary Perspective on Self and Human Behavior
Practical Benefits of a Non-Self Perspective
How Meditation Cultivates Non-Self (Mindfulness)
The Nature and Possibility of Enlightenment
Optimistic Outlook on Human Evolution and Selflessness
Andrew's Resources and Upcoming Courses
6 Key Concepts
Pali Canon
The earliest strata of the Buddhist tradition, representing the historical Buddha's teachings, which Andrew Olendzki specializes in. It's the original, authentic teachings passed down for centuries, spoken in an ancient Indian vernacular.
Non-Self (Anatta)
The Buddhist idea that the self is not a fixed, essential entity but rather an 'afterthought' or 'cherry on top' of our experience. It's a view or concept, not a metaphysically real thing, and when examined closely, experience is seen as a construction of impersonal forces and relationships.
Greed, Hatred, and Delusion
Fundamental, toxic emotional drives deeply embedded in humans, identified by the Buddha as causes of suffering and harm in the world. The Buddhist path aims for their complete uprooting.
Feeling Tone
A Buddhist term referring to the immediate, automatic assessment of an experience as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. It's an elementary particle of experience that precedes the personalization of 'self'.
True Mindfulness
A state achieved through meditation that involves paying attention on purpose in the present moment with an attitude of nonjudgment. It means disengaging from wanting or not wanting things to be a certain way, allowing one to observe experiences with curiosity rather than identification or aversion.
Equanimity
A state of mind characterized by an even balance, where one is not leaning into or away from pleasure or pain. It allows for observing sensations and emotions with interest and disengagement, rather than identification or strong emotional reaction.
6 Questions Answered
Ancient oral traditions, particularly in cultures like ancient India, were far more faithful than modern people might assume. They relied on collective memorization, simple and repetitive teaching styles, and lacked developed writing infrastructure, making oral transmission a highly accurate method.
The Buddhist concept of non-self posits that what we perceive as a 'self' is not an essential starting point but an 'afterthought' or a conceptual label added to the automatic processing of sensory data, perceptions, and feeling tones. It's challenging because the idea of a fundamental 'me' is deeply ingrained and taken for granted.
Untangling the self is beneficial because the sense of self triggers primitive, toxic emotional drives like greed, hatred, and delusion, which cause suffering and conflict. A non-self perspective allows for the development of positive emotions like generosity, kindness, and compassion, leading to less personal distress and more appropriate actions.
Meditation helps by training the mind to observe experiences directly without identifying with them. By noticing sensations, thoughts, and emotions as impersonal events ('anger is arising' instead of 'I am angry') and cultivating an attitude of nonjudgment and curiosity, one gradually disengages from the habitual 'selfing' process.
Yes, enlightenment is considered possible and is described as a profound psychological transformation involving the complete uprooting of primitive, toxic instincts of greed, hatred, and delusion. It's seen as a re-routing of the brain's construction of experience, allowing one to operate in the world without these negative forces.
No, understanding non-self will not make a person unable to function. It helps one become 'less selfish and more selfless,' allowing them to navigate daily tasks and responsibilities while being less swayed by personal identification with emotions and desires.
10 Actionable Insights
1. Explore Experience Directly
Engage in meditation by paying very close attention to what is actually happening in the mind and body directly, rather than thinking about it conceptually, to explore your experience. This serves as a “lab component” to understand how the mind and body work.
2. Adopt Non-Self Strategy
Shift your strategy for organizing experience from a “self” view (“this is me, I am at stake”) to a “non-self” view (“this is not mine, this is not me”). This prevents evoking toxic emotions like greed and hatred, allowing for more positive emotions such as generosity and compassion.
3. Don’t Take Things Personally
Avoid taking internal commotions (thoughts, emotions) personally, as this prevents you from being “yanked around” by them and reduces suffering. When something feels impersonal, it doesn’t hurt as much.
4. Re-language Emotional States
Instead of saying “I’m feeling angry,” rephrase it as “I notice that anger is arising.” This shifts the emotion from driving your actions to becoming an observable object, allowing for different choices.
5. Look for the “You” in Emotion
In moments of strong emotion, turn your attention inward and try to find “who” is feeling it. Realizing that the emotion isn’t as solid as you think can defuse its power and prevent regrettable actions.
6. Observe with Curiosity & Equanimity
When practicing mindfulness, pay attention to present moment experiences with an attitude of non-judgment, disengaging from wanting or not wanting things to be a certain way. This involves noticing aversion and letting go of it, regarding sensations with curiosity and interest rather than identification.
7. Identify Behavioral Patterns
Through observation, recognize recurring patterns of cause and effect in your mind and body, such as irritability arising from lack of sleep. Understanding these patterns allows for distancing from identification and making different choices.
8. Reimagine Mature Years
View retirement or mature years not as a time of diminishing expectations, but as an opportunity for spiritual investigation and understanding. This reframes a life stage for personal growth.
9. Test Teachings in Your Life
Apply the teachings and guidelines discussed to the “laboratory of your own life and your own mind” to test their utility and verify them in your personal experience.
10. View “Self” as a Verb
Consider the “self” not as a fixed noun or entity, but as a verb – an event that occurs. When you are mindful, you are “not selfing,” which helps in disengaging from identification.
6 Key Quotes
I'm interested in the man, historically, underlying all of that. And so as a scholar, I specialize in the earliest strata of the tradition, the historical Buddha, the world he lived in, the language he spoke and taught in, or it's very similar to that.
Andrew Olendzki
The Buddhists are simply doing is saying that notion that we have of the self is actually more like the icing on the cake.
Andrew Olendzki
The self is the sort of focal point of our most primitive instincts of I have to survive at all costs.
Andrew Olendzki
When you take something personally, it really hurts. When it's impersonal, it doesn't.
Andrew Olendzki
When you are mindful, you're not selfing. See, I consider self to be a verb rather than a noun. It's not a thing that exists, but a thing that occurs, an event that occurs.
Andrew Olendzki
I think that we all are capable of operating in the world without being hateful and cruel, without being greedy and selfish.
Andrew Olendzki
1 Protocols
Meditation Practice for Cultivating Non-Self
Andrew Olendzki- Observe sensations that arise and fall in the body, such as the breath.
- Instead of saying 'I am watching my breath,' simply be aware that 'breath is occurring.'
- When encountering distressing experiences (e.g., pain), notice the aversion that arises.
- Let go of the aversion by disengaging from the wanting or not wanting, and instead regard the sensation with curiosity and interest.
- Cultivate equanimity, an evenly balanced attitude, where you are not leaning into or away from pleasure or pain, but simply observing it as a non-personal event.