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Stepping Out of Self-Deception: The Buddha's Liberating Teaching of No-Self, by Rodney Smith
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Anatta is the Buddhist teaching on the nonexistence of a permanent, independent self. It’s a notoriously puzzling and elusive concept, usually leading to such questions as, “If I don’t have a self, who’s reading this sentence?” It’s not that there’s no self there, says Rodney Smith. It’s just that the self that is reading this sentence is a configuration of elements that at one time did not exist and which at some point in the future will disperse. Even in its present existence, it’s more a temporary arrangement of components rather than something solid. Anatta is a truth the Buddha considered to be absolutely essential to his teaching. Smith shows that understanding this truth can change the way you relate to the world, and that the perspective of selflessness is critically important for anyone involved in spiritual practice. Seeing it can be the key to getting past the idea that spirituality has something to do with self-improvement, and to accessing the joy of deep insight into reality.
- Sales Rank: #394222 in eBooks
- Published on: 2011-07-22
- Released on: 2011-07-22
- Format: Kindle eBook
From Publishers Weekly
Rodney Smith (Lessons from the Dying), a Seattle insight meditation teacher and former hospice director, argues that the core of Buddhist wisdom is the nonexistence of the self (anatta). But even dedicated practitioners find this teaching difficult, he argues: £Through all our techniques and procedures, the sense–of-I remains the cornerstone of our existence.¥ Focusing on BuddhismÖs eightfold path, Smith tries to jolt the reader out of this £belief in a separate self.¥ He emphasizes the importance of discovery and experimentation, following the BuddhaÖs dictum of testing principles rather than accepting dogma. A sometimes idiosyncratic terminology reflects SmithÖs own journey from reliance on spiritual teachers to detailed investigation. Acute insights mingle with vague abstractions: £We only lose sight of unity; it never leaves us.¥ He critiques what the late influential Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa considered £spiritual materialism¥--attachment to particular methods or experiential states, especially in the Western pursuit of psychological health. Additional concrete examples and tighter editing would have made this book more approachable, but SmithÖs examination of a profound teaching is thought provoking.
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Review
“Acute insights…Smith’s examination of a profound teaching is thought-provoking.”—Publishers Weekly
“Smith successfully approaches the Buddhist doctrine of anatta (no-self), which is a concept that is most difficult at the best of times.”—The Middle Way: Journal of the Buddhist Society
“Every so often a book appears that revitalizes our understanding of who we are and what our lives are about. Stepping Out of Self-Deception is such a book. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully written investigation of the path of awakening, it also challenges many of our assumptions along the way.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of One Dharma and Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom
“The Buddhist doctrine of anatta (no-self) seems quite counterintuitive to the Western mind: we may not be sure of much, but aren't we sure we are here? Descartes says as much. Rodney Smith succeeds masterfully in laying bare the self/non-self doctrine and its many insidious misunderstandings that more often than not result in our using spiritual practice to reinforce the very pain we hoped it would liberate us from. He makes it clear that the Buddhist goal is not self-improvement or self-elimination but rather the radical recognition that we have never been isolated, we have always belonged. I am deeply moved by this intelligent, practical, and challenging look at the Buddhist path for our time and place.”—Zoketsu Norman Fischer, author of Sailing Home and Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up
“I found this book extremely clear and helpful. Rodney is able to explain concepts that are generally hard to comprehend, and make them readily accessible. His words are written from the heart, which is where this book resonates.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience
“Rodney Smith humanizes the Buddhist path. He probes ‘no-self ’ but in so doing reveals himself to be honest, humble, and wise. His writing makes this most elusive concept come alive.”—Mark Epstein, MD, author of Thoughts without a Thinker and Going to Pieces without Falling Apart
“Rodney Smith’s terrific new book will help us step out of the vicious cycle of self-deception and into the illumined realm of self-knowledge and spiritual realization. His deep, long term of Buddhist practice and liberating wisdom combined with a vocation of service work in the field of death and dying has perfectly equipped him to bring together here the best of East and West in elucidating how we ourselves can explore and penetrate the inner dynamics of identity and self, no-self, transpersonal being, and discover the complete being of our innate Buddhaness, the radiant Buddha-nature.”—Lama Surya Das, author of The Mind Is Mightier Than the Sword and Awakening the Buddha Within
About the Author
Rodney Smith, a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Society, has taught insight meditation since 1984. He is a former Buddhist monk and worked in hospice care for seventeen years. The author of "Lessons From the Dying" and "Stepping Out of Self-Deception", he founded and guides the Seattle Insight Meditation Society.
Most helpful customer reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
FRESH AND CLEAR
By Russell Smith
I borrowed this book from the library and have been reading it slowly and savoring it. I realize I will have to buy it so I can reread it, underline passages and take the insights deeply to heart-- it is that sort of book.
True, as a previous reviewer mentioned, it is not easy reading, but I value this. Rodney Smith has made the effort to use language that actually corresponds to his experience, rather than relying on over-used Dharma cliches. For me, this brings a freshness and vitality to the book. Even insights I am familiar with come alive in a new way.
Rodney Smith is has taught Insight Meditation for decades and has directed Hospice programs for many years. He studied with Ajahn Buddhadasa in Thailand but also sites dialogues with the Vedanta sage Shri Nisargadatta as having a great impact on him. This book should appeal not only to Buddhists but to readers having an interest in Advaita Vedanta and contemporary non-dualist teachers like Eckhart Tolle.
The author is fearless in confronting the many ways spiritual practice ends up supporting the ego it supposedly is challenging. Consider this quote: "I have seen many practitioners overstay their efforts and arrest their understanding...
They feel safe and unassailable, expertly following their breath for hours according to Buddha's instruction... But scratch beneath the surface and their hearts are dry... They have opted out of wonder for the mental fulfillment of precision."
This book is targeted at lay Buddhist practitioners with a full engagement in the the world. "The lay Buddhist does not have the luxury to pull back from the barrage of experiences coming forth throughout the day." "Nothing is denied, nothing is avoided, and the world is allowed to make its impact, to affect us in whatever way it does." "The Dharma is always inclusive, and in the end everything needs our attention and understanding, never our dismissal."
A few more quotes:
"The sense-of-self lacks faith in anything outside of its own influence. Life is perceived as an obstacle to our power and must be aligned by force of will to work to our advantage." {Sound familiar? Sure does to this reviewer.} "Faith is the opposite of control, and expresses itself energetically as releasing our need to have everything go our way. Faith is the intuitive sense that something beyond our power holds life and has always held it..."
"The primary intention begins to work through us when we are radically accountable for the pain of our wanting. Radical accountability starts by saying 'I want' and drops all externaliztion of the need. Next we drop the references to 'we' and the energy stays with the wanting and goes no further... We hold our ground and in doing so there is a welling of confidence and coursge... The heart fully engages reality and says 'Come what may, this is where I stand' and faces the wanting until it disappears into emptiness."
This last practice is explored fully throughout the book. These two long quotes give you a sense of Smith's language. I finally want to add that I believe this book would be appreciated not only by Buddhists but also open-minded Christians. Rodney Smith writes beautifully about surrender, faith and "self-naughting," offering a perspective that many Christians could benefit from.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
A Rare and Valuable Addition to Buddhist Teachings
By Michaelinwa
I was very eager to read this book because I admire Rodney Smith as a teacher. He brings a unique perspective to Buddhist practice, and is often very thought provoking. However, I do find many of his lines of thought to be very complex, and not readily understood. I would consider myself an average meditator with about average exposure to Buddhist ideas. I am not, as a rule, intimidated by complicated ideas or challenging books. Any reader of this book should be warned that they may find much of the discussion to be very challenging to understand. I often had a sense that I just wanted the author to state in more direct and easily understood language what he was trying to convey. Now, having said that, I did find some very useful concepts in this book. In particular, the notion that our practice may be working to build a sense of self that is contrary to what we are trying to achieve is very helpful, and not a message I have learned from other teachers. But overall I felt that author either had much, much more to convey than I was able to pick up from the lengthy discussion, or he uses far more words to explain his ideas than are necessary. Truthfully, I think he has much more to say that I can comprehend, but that just makes this book somewhat frustrating because I was ready to absorb his ideas, but simply could not truly understand many of them. As a final note, I suspect many readers will find this book light on how to integrate the concepts into daily practice. This is certainly not a "how to" book by any stretch of the imagination.
Update to my initial review: I went back to this book and reread it; something I rarely do with books of any sort. I must say, after the second read my respect for this author's ideas as presented in the book have increased greatly. I think what the author teaches in this book is essential. Is it an easy read? No. But I think that aspect of the book is a result of the nature of what the author is presenting. These are not concepts that are well known or intuitive to the average Buddhist or meditator. In fact, I suspect these concepts are not well known to even to those with many years of practice. Additionally, the concepts do not lend themselves easily to being communicated. However, I now see that I am running into exactly the issues of "self" finding it's way into my practice in a manner that is not useful. Were it not for this book, I'm not sure I would recognize that fact, and I suspect I would be at a loss as to how to address the issues. While the author does not present a sort of "step-by-step" approach to resolving the challenges he describes, there is enough guidance in this book to help me navigate my way through the difficulties of dealing with self as it emerges in my practice.
I get the sense that Rodney Smith can articulate these ideas because he has been there, and has struggled personally with the issues he describes. It seems to me that Mr. Smith has done a great service to Buddhists and meditators by at least pointing us in the general direction in which we should go. When an author can give us a new message that potentially can save us untold frustration, I think that's a rare gift to practitioners.
I strongly recommend this book, especially to more experienced meditators who I believe will eventually run into the challenges Rodney Smith describes in this book. If you find reading this book a challenge, give it a chance. Take your time, and be willing to reread as much as necessary to find the important messages this author is presenting.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Absolutely Brilliant
By Inner Adventurer
What a wonderful surprise this book is. I've been unclear about Buddha's teaching on `no-self ' inspite of reading and trying to understand it. This book is one of those rare books that actually takes you to the experience, not just more information. They say that when somebody really knows what they are talking about they can explain it to anyone. I get it now, what's that worth? Thank you for taking the time to write this treasure.
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