Sam Harris: Why identification with the self creates suffering

June 25, 2019

Sam Harris: The Self is an Illusion

"I’m not making any spooky claims about its metaphysics. What I am saying, however, is that the self is an illusion. The sense of being an ego, an I, a thinker of thoughts in addition to the thoughts. An experiencer in addition to the experience. The sense that we all have of riding around inside our heads as a kind of a passenger in the vehicle of the body. [...] Now that sense of being a subject, a locus of consciousness inside the head is an illusion. It makes no neuro-anatomical sense. There’s no place in the brain for your ego to be hiding. We know that everything you experience – your conscious emotions and thoughts and moods and the impulses that initiate behavior – all of these things are delivered by a myriad of different processes in the brain that are spread out over the whole of the brain. They can be independently erupted. We have a changing system. We are a process and there’s not one unitary self that’s carried through from one moment to the next unchanging."
- Sam Harris: The Self is an Illusion

Sam Harris: The Self Is an Illusion

Sam Harris: Breaking the Spell of Negative Emotions

Sam Harris: Death and the Present Moment (2012)

[christopher]

Spending a lot of time alone playing a musical instrument is a good way to learn to remain conscious as your self dissolves. As you get better at the instrument, it becomes easier to play in a total trance with no awareness of what you're doing. Those are the coolest moments, because your existence disappears into a neutrality that is beyond pain or pleasure. You aren't merely playing for the thing in itself-- you ARE the thing in itself. The drawback of that state is getting lost in the abyss and making a jarring mistake that slams you back to reality.
The trick is learning how to co-pilot your auto-pilot. Your conscious co-pilot stays off to the side and influences the experience from a distance, but only when the subconsious autopilot needs a course correction. As your co-pilot gets more experienced, your autopilot follows suit and learns how to get through a flight plan with more control and fewer malfunctions.

[lilbrusselsprout]

“Most people are waiting for the world to give them a good enough reason to just be present.”

[christopherm]

This is a scene that would fit perfectly in Waking Life

[haSHAH]

Ego is just another object arising in consciousness

[pridepotterz]

No Sam…you’re not identical to your face, your identical to Ben stiller

[heavylit]

2:21 there is no self, you are the flow of experience

[blacksheep]

Thank you Ben Stiller for helping me to uncover my true selfless nature.

[chrispmar]

"Identification with the self." Whose identifying with the self? Wouldn't that just be another self? My identity is Consiousness! That still feels dualistic: there's "me" and then there's what I identify with.

"I" lost me sense of self? Then who am I?

And if the self is an illusion then how can you identify with it much less lose it?

[TheWilDOn]

This whole world creates suffering. And it will always be this way. How can one live in this constant war and struggle, and be pure consciousness with no sense of self? Being more aware, more in the moment, yes! That's important, necessary, beautiful. But without a sense of self you will not survive in this world, you will not have competition, ambition, drive, and can anyone tell me how do you raise your children with little to no money?

[FabSia]

You're always chasing our resisting!

[williamburts]

Sam says, " we are always at war " " we are always fighting something " you are noticing something wrong, you are feeling uncomfortable in your body " " you are just being blown around "

All of these statements are realizations, but what is it that experiences the human drama and relays that experience to others of "what it is like being a human being", if there is no " knower " ( self ) of the human experience !!

[wafflepancakes]

This is such a great clip, Sam Harris is the man!

[approve]

If consciousness is always just this flow of experience. How come certain kids are born more talented or gifted in certain areas that other kids aren’t? Like smarter or more into reading then sports etc. or the 7 year old who can play the piano better then a professional. Or why are siblings who grew up in the same house with the same experiences so different from each other? Like how were these certain kids born with a I wanna say different “ consciousness “ but if it’s just a steam of experience how does that make sense? Or is it just the DNA genes and genetics of how they were born? Lol I don’t know if that makes sense but I just wanted to type it cause it came to mind

[travisbickle]

does it mean that Persona doesn't exist ?? I mean the self or structured person like I'm strong or I'm this and that ?? is it a false construct from the beginning to end ??

[hairypenis]

5:53
not about 1/2 second ago, or 1/2 second from now. @ a balance

[mikelisteral]

if you have no self acceptance then you will spend your life running from your sense of self and use enlightenment to help you do that.

[larryleasher]

Love listening to Sam, but I think the word he was looking for there is Presence.

[fredericksharon]

I feel this all the time.. I'm the experience

[bornwithoutconsentobviously]

Man, I can listen to Sam Harris talk everyday and every night.
Doesn't matter what he's talking about.
Though he's usually right about everything.
He should make an ASMR channel or create a podcast to relax or fall a sleep.

[blackwaternorth]

what sam addresses is the ego. the self is not the ego or individual "me" or "i" but rather the "all" or — defying any concrete knowledge of the all by the i — nothing. the self is unconditional love. the self doesn't create or destroy. or even change. the self is ok. the self says everything's everything. therefore possible. the self allows the ego's i its blindness or myopia. the self allows timespace and all other illusion. the self allows the hatred of the self bc being unknowable, the self cannot be hated. the self isn't the answer and obviates the question. the self ain't nuthin to fuk with. thanks.