Eastern and Western Perspectives on the Self

Study Notes

Western cultures emphasize individualism, promoting individual independence and self-reliance.
Eastern cultures emphasize collectivism, prioritizing group loyalty and collective welfare.

Individuals are seen as independent and distinct from others.
It emphasizes personal achievement and self-expression.
It promotes values of freedom, choice, and competition.
Examples of individualistic cultures include: New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Greece, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, and Finland.

Individuals are seen as part of a larger group or collective.
It emphasizes social relationships, roles, duties, and obligations.
It prioritizes group needs and goals over individual ones.
Values cooperation, harmony, and maintaining cultural traditions.
Examples of collectivistic cultures include: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Indonesia, Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal.

Western	Eastern
Self-oriented	Other-oriented
Emphasizes individuality and distinctness	Individuals are part of a larger self
Individuals focus on personal attributes	Individuals focus on social roles
Highlights personal achievements	Focuses on group harmony, avoids boasting
Individualistic, focus on the person	Collectivistic, group and social relations are more important
Values freedom and choice	Values relationships and social obligations
Values competition	Values cooperation
Values equality	Values hierarchy

The Buddha believed individuals are composed of five aggregates of existence (Five Skandhas).
Five Skandhas:
- Form: physical body
- Sensation: feelings (emotional and physical) and senses (seeing, hearing, etc.)
- Perception: thinking, conceptualization, cognition, and reasoning.
- Mental Formations: includes habits, prejudices, predispositions, and volition.
- Consciousness: awareness or sensitivity to an object, without conceptualization.

Core teaching of Buddhism: There is no permanent, integral, autonomous self within each individual.
The "self" is an ephemeral experience, a flux of momentary perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.
There is no enduring or eternal self.
Self-identification is connected to the physical body, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, responses, and flow of consciousness.
Anatman is not a denial of existence, but the absence of words to define the present moment of existence.