Down To The Core

PHLOX: It’s clearly had an impact on you. You seem more certain of yourself.
T’POL: I’ve never felt less certain.
PHLOX: You’re re-examining your core beliefs. Something most people never do.

Star Trek: Enterprise, “Daedelus” (s4:ep10)

Core beliefs do not change easily.

Whether they are morally right or wrong, our beliefs are tightly woven into our sense of identity. If someone challenges our beliefs, they challenge our fundamental sense of self, everything we’ve been taught or learned up to this point, and the conclusions we’ve made as a result.

Indeed, this is why people have such a vast diversity of beliefs, and why we stubbornly cling to them too: we are constructing the world around us based on our perceptions, environment, and experiences.

But that sense of self, including its beliefs, preferences, etc, is an illusion. This is the fundamental Buddhist doctrine of “no(-lasting)-self” called anātman in Sanskrit, or 無我 in East-Asian Buddhism.¹

To clarify, this does not mean we don’t exist. But our sense of self is not permanent or static, like a soul or spirit that exists apart from the body. It shifts and changes, like the famous Ship of Theseus. In other words: it’s not something we can rely upon.

Hence, the Buddha told his son Rahula² to maintain the view that:

‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’

Translation by Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu

What we feel and think isn’t something we can truly call our own. The mind and sense of self is fungible, and what we hold personally dear and true can change as well. This challenges our sense of self, and this makes us uncomfortable, like T’Pol from the show Enterprise³ as she began to challenge her own Vulcan beliefs.

But that’s also how people learn and grow.

Namu Shakamuni Butsu

¹ Pronounced wúwǒ in Chinese, and muga in Japanese, among other languages.

² Rahula was born when the Buddha was still a prince, and later when the Buddha awakened and became a spiritual teacher, he reunited with his family. Some of them ordained as monks and nuns, some did not. Rahula was one of those who ordained.

³ I never actually watched Star Trek: Enterprise back in the day. I was in college and very busy, plus I didn’t really like the UPN channel at the time. However, I finally rewatched it during my personal break and I realized that the show is really, really good. If you are a Trek fan, it’s worth watching.