Three Strategies for Getting Over Yourself | Joseph Goldstein
Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, discusses the three "papañca" or proliferating tendencies (craving, conceit, view of self) that perpetuate an unhealthy sense of self. He offers a masterclass in lightening up and becoming less self-centered through understanding non-self, the two truths, and practical meditation techniques.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
Introduction to Joseph Goldstein and the Three Proliferating Tendencies
Understanding Papañca: Proliferating Tendencies of Mind
The Buddha's Core Framework: Not Mine, Not I, Not Myself
First Tendency: Craving and the Sense of 'Mine'
Second Tendency: Conceit (Mana) and the 'I Am' Sense
The 'All': Six Basic Building Blocks of Experience
Understanding Non-Self: The River Analogy
Navigating Life Without a Solid 'Self'
The Two Levels of Truth: Conventional and Ultimate
Practical Application: Overcoming Conceit in Self-Judgment
Practice 1: Using the Passive Voice in Meditation
The Value of Recognizing Mental Defilements
Practice 2: Meditating on the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
The Buddha's Teaching to Rahula on Elements
Practice 3: Focusing on the Disappearing Aspect of Experience
Stages of Experiencing Impermanence: The Free Fall Analogy
8 Key Concepts
Papañca (Proliferating Tendencies)
Papañca refers to the ways the mind elaborates and expands from the bare elements of experience, building complex mental worlds. These tendencies perpetuate an unhealthy sense of self and are a main contributor to human suffering.
Not Mine, Not I, Not Myself
This is the Buddha's fundamental framework for perfect wisdom, teaching that everything should be seen in this light. It aims to free individuals from the sense of belonging, personal identification, and a fixed self, which are sources of suffering.
The All
The Buddha's description of everything that can be experienced, encompassing six phrases: the eye and visible objects, the ear and sound, the nose and smell, the tongue and taste, the body and sensations, and the mind and mind objects (thoughts, emotions, images).
Non-Self (Anatta)
This essential Buddhist teaching explains that 'self' is not a substantial entity but merely a designation for the constantly changing process of mind-body elements. Understanding non-self helps to release the grasping and cherishing of something that does not inherently exist, thereby reducing suffering.
Conventional Truth
This refers to the ordinary, everyday understanding and communication using terms like 'self,' 'I,' and 'you.' While appropriate and necessary for practical interaction, it becomes problematic when mistakenly believed to be the ultimate reality.
Ultimate Truth
This refers to the deeper reality of experience, where one perceives the basic elements and processes (like the six 'all' or the physical elements) without the conceptual overlays of 'I' or 'mine,' moving beyond the seduction of conventional language.
Conceit (Mana)
In Buddhist terminology, conceit is a broad, deeply felt sense of 'I am-ness' that manifests in comparisons (e.g., 'I am better than,' 'worse than,' or 'equal to') or in identifying with oneself across time (past, present, future). This mental proliferation creates a painful contraction of being.
The Elements (Buddhist Framework)
A simple framework for describing physical experience in terms of felt sensations rather than conceptual objects. It designates hardness/softness as the earth element, movement as the air element, warmth/coolness as the fire element, and cohesion/fluidity as the water element.
13 Questions Answered
They are ways the mind elaborates from basic experience, building complex worlds and perpetuating an unhealthy sense of self, leading to suffering.
The Buddha taught that 'everything should be seen with perfect wisdom: This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself,' which helps free one from attachment and suffering.
It's a delusion because the leg is not a fixed 'thing' but a collection of physical elements subject to impermanence, and attachment to it as 'mine' leads to suffering when it ages, gets sick, or changes.
It refers to a deeply felt sense of 'I am-ness,' manifesting as comparisons (better than, worse than, equal to) or identification with oneself across time (past, present, future), which creates a painful contraction of being.
The Buddha called these 'the all,' which consists of six things: the eye and visible objects, the ear and sound, the nose and smell, the tongue and taste, the body and sensations, and the mind and mind objects (thoughts, emotions, images).
Non-self means that the word 'self' is a designation for a constantly changing process of mind-body elements, not a substantial entity. Understanding this is crucial for liberation because grasping at a non-existent self is the root of suffering.
Actions have consequences based on natural laws of cause and effect, regardless of a 'self.' Skillful actions (not based in greed or hatred) lead to peace, while unskillful actions lead to suffering, a process that doesn't require an 'I.'
They are conventional (or relative) truth, which uses ordinary language like 'I' and 'you' for communication, and ultimate truth, which perceives the basic elements of experience without conceptual overlays.
By recognizing 'I am-ing' (self-judgment, comparison) as a mental proliferation, one can let go of the self-story and the suffering it creates, returning to the present moment.
Seeing defilements with clarity and mindfulness is enlightening; it means one is not caught by them, leading to a process of getting lighter and freer, rather than letting them run riot.
Using phrases like 'a sound is being heard' or 'a sensation is being felt' removes the 'I' (subject) from the experience, reducing efforting, fostering effortlessness, and highlighting the impermanent nature of phenomena.
The elements are designations for felt physical experiences: earth (hardness/softness), air (movement), fire (warmth/coolness), water (cohesion/fluidity). Meditating on them (e.g., 'air element, earth element' during walking) helps dissolve the sense of 'my leg' or 'I am,' freeing the mind from personal attachment.
By bringing the mind to the 'lip of the flow' where things vanish ('gone, gone, gone'), it becomes impossible to cling, leading to a sense of free flow, non-grasping, and ultimately, profound equanimity and peace.
14 Actionable Insights
1. Adopt Not-Self Framework
See everything with perfect wisdom, understanding ‘This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself’ to free yourself from proliferating tendencies and reduce suffering.
2. Curb Proliferating Mental Tendencies
Become aware of, distinguish between, and learn to free yourself from the three main proliferating tendencies (papancha): craving, conceit, and view of self, to create less suffering.
3. Recognize “Mine” Delusion
Notice when you take things to belong to you (e.g., ‘my leg,’ ‘my body’) and understand that this ‘mine’ view leads to suffering when things inevitably change.
4. Identify “I Am” Contraction
Pay attention to the deep sense of ‘I am-ness’ (mana), which manifests as comparing oneself to others or focusing on ‘I am’ across time, as it feels like a contraction and causes suffering.
5. Grasp Non-Self as Designation
Understand that ‘self’ is a designation for the changing process of mind-body elements, like a ‘river’ is a designation for flowing water, rather than a substantial, independent thing.
6. Mindful Action, Predictable Consequences
Recognize that all actions (physical, speech, mind) have consequences, and choose actions not based in greed or hatred to bring about peace and happiness for yourself and others.
7. Deconstruct Experience to Six Elements
Understand that all experience is made up of six basic things: eye/visible objects, ear/sound, nose/smell, tongue/taste, body/sensations, and mind/mind objects, to see the simplicity of ’the all’.
8. Distinguish Conventional from Ultimate Language
Use conventional language like ‘I’ and ‘you’ for communication, but understand it’s a convenience and not the ultimate reality, to avoid being seduced into believing it has substantial reality.
9. Observe with Passive Voice
When observing experience, use the passive voice (e.g., ‘a sound is being heard’) to remove the ‘I’ or subject, which reduces unskillful efforting and highlights the effortless, impermanent nature of experience.
10. Inquire: “What’s Being Known?”
For 5-10 minutes, either sitting or walking, hold the question ‘What’s being known?’ and settle back to recognize what arises (sight, sound, sensation, thought) to experience effortlessness and impermanence.
11. Welcome Awareness of Defilements
Be delighted to see unskillful patterns of mind (defilements) arise, rather than discouraged, because the very act of seeing them clearly is enlightening and frees you from being caught by them.
12. Grasp Elements as Sensations
Understand the Buddhist framework of elements as designations for immediate felt experiences: hardness/softness (earth), movement (air), and warmth/coolness (fire), which provide a simple shorthand for physical experience free of mental proliferation.
13. Label Sensations by Element
During walking, mentally label physical sensations with their corresponding element (e.g., ‘air element’ for movement, ’earth element’ for touch) to cause the sense of ‘I am’ and ‘mine’ to fall away.
14. Witness Experience Disappearing
Shift attention from what’s arising to what’s disappearing, bringing your mind to the ’lip of the flow’ where things vanish (e.g., ‘gone, gone, gone’), making it impossible to hold on and leading to a liberating free flow.
9 Key Quotes
Everything should be seen with perfect wisdom. This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself.
Joseph Goldstein
Grasping and cherishing that which does not exist is the center of all our suffering.
Joseph Goldstein
Self is a designation for this changing process of mind-body elements.
Joseph Goldstein
River is simply a designation for that process of water flowing in a particular channel.
Joseph Goldstein
The freer we are from that contraction, the happier we will be.
Joseph Goldstein
The consequences of one's actions, that's simply a conventional way of saying that the flow of our lives, the unfolding of our lives, the flow, is happening lawfully.
Joseph Goldstein
The very seeing of them is enlightening. And it's a way that we get lighter and lighter and lighter. Because as we see them, we are not so caught by them.
Joseph Goldstein
The thing is gone by the time we could even hold on to it, right?
Joseph Goldstein
At a certain point, we realize there's no ground... and we fall into a place of tremendous equanimity.
Joseph Goldstein
3 Protocols
Practice: What's Being Known (Passive Voice)
Joseph Goldstein- Spend 5-10 minutes, either in sitting meditation or going for a walk.
- Hold the question 'What's being known?' moment after moment.
- Settle back and just recognize what is being known (e.g., a sight, a sound, a sensation, a thought) without attempting to control or direct it.
Practice: Meditating on the Elements
Joseph Goldstein- Go for a walk at a normal pace or any speed.
- As you move your leg, very lightly label the experience 'air element' (referring to movement).
- As you touch the ground, very lightly label the experience 'earth element' (referring to hardness/softness).
- Connect these words directly to the physical experience, noticing how the sense of 'my leg' or 'I am' falls away, leaving only the elements being known.
Practice: Focusing on the Disappearing Edge
Joseph Goldstein- Go for a walk or sit in meditation.
- Bring your mind to the 'lip of the flow' of experience, focusing on things as they disappear.
- Recognize that each moment, each sensation, each thought, is 'gone, gone, gone' as it passes.
- Observe the liberating feeling that comes from this continual disappearance and the consequent lack of clinging.