Three Strategies for Getting Over Yourself | Joseph Goldstein
Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and meditation teacher, discusses the 'three proliferating tendencies' (papañca) after a silent retreat. He offers strategies to understand and free oneself from craving, conceit, and the unhealthy view of self, leading to less suffering.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Introduction to Joseph Goldstein and the Three Proliferating Tendencies
Defining Papancha: Mind's Proliferation and Suffering
The Core Framework: Not Mine, Not I, Not Myself
Proliferating Tendency 1: Craving and the Sense of 'Mine'
Proliferating Tendency 2: Conceit and the Deep Sense of 'I Am'
The Buddha's 'The All': Six Building Blocks of Experience
Understanding Non-Self: The River Analogy
Two Levels of Truth: Conventional vs. Ultimate
Practical Application: Releasing Suffering from Conceit
Practice 1: Using the Passive Voice in Meditation
Practice 2: Meditating on the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
The Buddha's Teaching to Rahula on Elements
Practice 3: Focusing on the Disappearing Nature of Experience
The Free Fall Analogy for Impermanence and Equanimity
7 Key Concepts
Three Proliferating Tendencies (Papañca)
These are three ways the mind elaborates and expands from the bare elements of experience, building complex worlds and perpetuating an unhealthy sense of self. Understanding them helps free oneself from suffering created by mental proliferation.
The All
As described by the Buddha, 'the all' refers to everything we experience, broken down into six basic building blocks: the eye and visible objects, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and sensations, and mind and mind objects (thoughts, emotions, images). All experience is one of these six things.
Non-Self
This central Buddhist teaching explains that 'self' is merely a designation for the constantly changing process of mind-body elements, similar to how 'river' designates flowing water. It means that the word 'self' does not refer to anything substantial or independent, but rather to a designation for the flow of changing elements.
Conceit (Mana)
In Buddhist usage, conceit is a broad term for the deeply felt sense of 'I am,' which manifests as comparing oneself to others (better, worse, equal) or as the 'I am' over time (past, present, future). It's a pervasive mental contraction that contributes to suffering.
Conventional Truth
This refers to the ordinary, everyday way of understanding and communicating using terms like 'self,' 'I,' and 'you.' While useful for communication, it can lead to the delusion that these linguistic designations represent a substantial, ultimate reality.
Ultimate Truth
This level of truth goes beyond conventional language to understand the basic building blocks of experience and how they function, free from the conceptual overlay of a substantial self. It reveals the impermanent and non-personal nature of phenomena.
Buddhist Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
In this framework, these are not chemical elements but designations for immediate physical sensations: Earth represents hardness or softness; Air represents movement; Fire represents warmth or coolness; and Water represents cohesion or fluidity. They offer a simple way to describe physical experience free of mental proliferation.
9 Questions Answered
Papancha refers to three ways the mind elaborates from bare experience, building complex worlds and perpetuating an unhealthy sense of self, which leads to suffering. Understanding them helps free oneself from this self-created suffering.
Claiming something as 'mine' is a delusion because it's not ultimately true; such attachment leads to suffering when things inevitably change, age, get sick, or die. Seeing the body as non-personal elements brings ease and harmony with nature.
The 'I am' sense, or conceit, is a contraction of being that creates suffering by manifesting in comparisons (better, worse, equal) or getting lost in past/future narratives, all revolving around a self that doesn't substantially exist.
Actions have consequences regardless of a substantial 'self.' The flow of life unfolds lawfully, meaning present actions condition future outcomes based on natural cause and effect, without needing an 'I' to understand this relationship.
Conventional truth uses terms like 'I' and 'self' for communication, which is appropriate. However, ultimate truth reveals that these are just designations, and mistaking them for substantial reality leads to being imprisoned by concepts rather than understanding the basic, changing elements of experience.
When one recognizes the mindset of 'I am-ing' (conceit), instead of getting caught in the self-judgmental story, the mind can immediately let go of that mental fabrication. This recognition releases the suffering and returns the mind to the present moment.
A simple practice is to use the passive voice, asking 'What's being known?' moment after moment. This removes the 'I' from the equation, allowing one to settle back and effortlessly observe experiences like sounds, sights, and sensations arising and passing by themselves.
By lightly designating physical sensations as elements (e.g., 'air element' for movement, 'earth element' for touch) instead of 'my leg' or 'my foot,' the sense of personal ownership falls away. This reveals the non-personal nature of physical experience, liberating the mind from 'I, me, mine.'
By bringing attention to the continuous disappearance of experiences ('gone, gone, gone'), it becomes impossible to hold on to anything. This cultivates a free flow of experience without clinging, leading to a profound sense of liberation, peace, and an open heart.
12 Actionable Insights
1. Focus on Disappearing Experiences
Observe experiences (like a step or sensation) not just as they arise, but as they continually disappear (“gone, gone, gone”). This practice helps the mind let go of grasping and attachment, leading to a sense of liberation and free flow.
2. Meditate on Physical Elements
During physical activities like walking, mentally label sensations by their elemental qualities (e.g., “air element” for movement, “earth element” for hardness). This dissolves the “I, me, mine” sense, revealing the non-personal nature of physical experience.
3. Practice Passive Voice Awareness
Use the passive voice (e.g., “a sound is being heard,” “what’s being known?”) in meditation and daily life for short periods (5-10 minutes). This removes the “I” from the experience, reducing over-efforting and fostering an effortless state.
4. Release Suffering by Recognizing Conceit
When experiencing self-judgment or “I am-ing,” recognize this mindset as the defilement of conceit. This direct recognition can immediately release the mind from the suffering caused by the self-story.
5. Embrace Seeing Mental Defilements
Cultivate delight in recognizing unskillful patterns of mind (defilements) rather than discouragement. Seeing them clearly is enlightening, allowing one to become less caught by them and feel lighter.
6. Adopt “Not Mine, Not I” Framework
View all experiences through the lens of “This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself.” This foundational framework helps free oneself from suffering caused by the three proliferating tendencies.
7. Release the “Mine” Claim
Observe the tendency to claim things (like one’s body) as “mine.” By seeing these as non-personal aspects of nature, one can be at ease and in harmony with change, reducing suffering.
8. Observe “I Am” Comparisons
Pay attention to the subtle “I am” sense, especially when comparing oneself to others (better than, worse than, equal to) or thinking about oneself across time. This comparison is a pervasive, often unnoticed, contraction that causes suffering.
9. Understand Self as Designation
Recognize that “self” is merely a designation for the constantly changing flow of mind-body elements, not a substantial reality. Grasping this designation as a substantial truth causes suffering.
10. Distinguish Conventional from Ultimate
Use conventional language like “I” and “you” for communication, but avoid being seduced into believing it represents ultimate reality. Understand these are convenient designations, not substantial truths.
11. Recognize Six Elements of Experience
Understand that all experience boils down to six basic elements (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, mind objects). This simplifies life and highlights that suffering arises from mental responses, not the elements themselves.
12. Align Actions with Consequences
Understand that all actions (physical, speech, mental) have consequences. To cultivate peace and happiness, pay attention to the causes behind actions, avoiding those rooted in greed or hatred that lead to suffering.
8 Key Quotes
Grasping and cherishing that which does not exist is the center of all our suffering.
Joseph Goldstein
Our lives, everybody's lives, it's like a six-piece chamber orchestra that's playing the music of our lives.
Joseph Goldstein
Self is just like river. Self is a designation for this changing process of mind-body elements.
Joseph Goldstein
The I am, the I am is the conceit, is like an eddy in the stream, in the flow of our experience.
Joseph Goldstein
You're living in delusion. Once again, Dan.
Joseph Goldstein
The use of the language is fine, the I am language, but we want to understand that it's just conventional. It doesn't really refer to anything in and of itself.
Joseph Goldstein
We can get to a place in the practice where we're actually delighted to see all this stuff because we would rather see it than not see it.
Joseph Goldstein
Even if it's just for a few moments at a time... that's like planting the seeds, you know, ongoing flowing stream of a deeper understanding.
Joseph Goldstein
3 Protocols
'What's Being Known?' Meditation
Joseph Goldstein- Spend 5-10 minutes, either sitting or going for a walk.
- Hold the question 'What's being known?' moment after moment.
- Settle back and just recognize what is being known, such as a sight, a sound, a sensation, or a thought.
Elements Meditation for Physical Sensations
Joseph Goldstein- Go for a walk at any speed (normal or slow).
- As you move, lightly designate the physical sensations in terms of the Buddhist elements.
- For the sensation of movement, think 'air element'.
- For the sensation of touching the ground (hardness/softness), think 'earth element'.
- Connect these words directly to the physical experience.
'Gone, Gone, Gone' Disappearance Practice
Joseph Goldstein- Go for a walk or engage in any activity.
- Bring your mind to the 'disappearing edge' of each experience.
- Recognize how quickly each moment, sensation, or thought is 'gone' (e.g., 'What happened to the step of one second ago? It's gone.').
- Stay at that disappearing edge, observing things continually falling away.