CHAPTER 6: THE SELF IN WESTERN AND ORIENTAL THOUGHT

Are we all different and independent, or are all people part of one whole?

In this lesson, we'll examine what Eastern philosophy and religion, including
Hinduism and Buddhism, believe about the self. Are all ready my bebe eagles?

The Nature of the Self

Norah has been watching the news and the way everyone is at each other's throats,
and though it's painful and sad to watch, she also thinks it's inevitable. After all,
people are all independent and very different from one another.

Her friend Charlie isn't so sure though. He believes that everyone is connected to
each other and to the world. To Charlie, we are all one, so no one should be
fighting.

Norah and Charlie are thinking about the nature of the self. When philosophers talk
about the nature of the self, what they are really asking is: Are we separate from
each other and from the universe?

In Western philosophy, people tend to think like Norah: people are separate and
unique from each other. What one person does or experiences is completely
independent of other people and the world at large.

However,

 In Eastern philosophy, the self is often treated as an illusion. That is, the idea that
people are separate entities from each other and the world is not considered a
reality in Eastern thought. 

To Charlie, Eastern thought seems pretty clear, but Norah's still confused about it.
How can the self be an illusion? Does that mean she doesn't exist? To help Norah
understand better, let's look at two major religious traditions in Asia - Hinduism
and Buddhism - and how they view the self.

HINDUISM
Norah has heard of Hinduism, a major religion with many branches common in
south Asian countries like India and Sri Lanka. But, she's not sure what Hindus
believe, or what their beliefs have to do with the self.

There are many different branches of Hinduism with varying beliefs, sort of like
there are many different branches of Christianity. But in all the branches of
Hinduism, there are two important concepts that will help Norah understand the
Hindu view of the self: the Brahman and the Atman.

The Brahman is essentially the sacred, the god spirit or the universe. In contrast,
the Atman is the human soul, or the self. So when Norah thinks about her soul as a
separate entity from others, she's thinking of her Atman.

Unlike Norah's belief that the soul is separate, Hinduism teaches that the Atman is
essentially part of the Brahman, or universe. To help Norah understand, Charlie
tells her to think about a single drop of water in a cloud way up in the sky. It comes
down with other drops in the form of rain and makes its way to a river where it
blends with other drops. Eventually, this single drop of water flows out to the
ocean where it is indistinguishable from other drops. Finally, it evaporates and
makes its way to the atmosphere, where it becomes part of a cloud again.

To the Hindus, this drop of water is the Atman, and the cycle that it goes through is
kind of like reincarnation, or the belief that people die and are reborn over and over
again. Each time a person dies and is reborn, it comes closer to the Brahman.
Eventually, the person will complete the cycle of reincarnation when they have
developed enough. When this happens, they stop being reborn and are fully
reunited with the Brahman. It's like the drop of water stopped collecting in a cloud,
raining down and evaporating and instead simply dissolved into everything: the air,
the earth, and the water.

So, what does this have to do with the self? Norah's already figured out that Hindus
think very differently about the self than she does: they think in terms of centuries
and lifetimes, whereas she thinks about herself in terms of who she is today and
tomorrow. In Hinduism, the self, or the Atman, is just part of a larger whole, the
Brahman, which encompasses everything. The self, or the Atman, is tied to
everything, or as one sacred Hindu text says it, ''Thou are thou.''
BUDDHISM

Norah is starting to understand a little bit how the self can be thought of as part of
the universe. But there's still a self, right?

Charlie doesn't believe in the Atman; he doesn't believe that there's such a thing as
a self at all. That's because he's a Buddhist. Buddhism is a common Eastern
religion and philosophy where the self is often thought of as an
illusion. Buddhism- No Self. Our life is determined by the law of "cause and effect
".ie. our life is determined by our actions. Everything is an illusion.

Advaita Vedanta-There is an eternal ultimate reality without any attributes which

we may call universal Self. We are that! Everything else is an illusion including
our universe.

Saivaism- We are Self.. But we can't exist independent of the ultimate reality,the
universal Self. Both are eternal, the difference is in degree. . Everything that exists
is the manifested expression of the universal Self but not of permanent existence.

The Law of "cause and effect "influence our life.

Concept of rebirth and karma is accepted by all eastern religions.

CONFUCIANISM (Subdued self)

"The identity and self-concept of an individual is interwoven with the identity and
status of his/her community or culture, sharing its prides as well as its
failures." Self-Cultivation is the ultimate purpose of life.

TAOISM "Selflessness"

"The self is not just an extension of the family or the community; it is part of the
universe, one of the forms and manifestations of the Tao.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

"The focus is always looking towards the self"

Differences Eastern and western

The Western civilization is more individualistic, trying to find the meaning of life
here and now with self at the center as it is already given and part of the divine.
The Eastern philosophy is drawn much more into groups or society or people’s
actions and thoughts as one in order to find meaning in life as they try to get rid of
the false “me” concept and find meaning in discovering the true “me” in relation to
everything around them, or as part of a bigger scheme.

Lesson 1: individualistic vs. collective self

INDIVIDUALIST

The individual identifies primarily with self, with the needs of the individual being
satisfied before those of the group. Looking after and taking care of oneself, being
self-sufficient, guarantees the well-being of the group. Independence and self-
reliance are greatly stressed and valued. In general, people tend to distance
themselves psychologically and emotionally from each other. One may choose to
join groups, but group membership is not essential to one’s identity or success.
Individualist characteristics are often associated with men and people in urban
settings.

 COLLECTIVIST

One’s identity is, in large part, a function of one’s membership and role in a group,
e.g., the family or work team. The survival and success of the group ensures the
well-being of the individual, so that by considering the needs and feelings of
others, one protects oneself. Harmony and the interdependence of group members
are stressed and valued. Group members are relatively close psychologically and
emotionally, but distant toward no group members. Collectivist characteristics are
often associated with women and people in rural settings.  

 Individualism stresses individual goals and the rights of the individual

person. Collectivism focuses on group goals, what is best for the collective group,
and personal relationships.

An individualist is motivated by personal rewards and benefits. Individualist

persons set personal goals and objectives based on self.

LESSON 9: THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON BODY IMAGE AND SELF-

ESTEEM. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY
LESSON 7: PHYSICAL SELF
Physical Self refers to the body, this marvellous container and complex, finely
tuned, machine with which we interface with our environment and fellow beings.
The Physical Self is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that
can be directly observed and examined.

 William James considered body as initial source of sensation and necessary for

the origin and maintenance of personality. However, James considered body as
passive to the mind. So then, body is an expressive tool of indwelling
consciousness and good physical health. It is an element of spiritual hygiene of
supreme significance.

Abraham Maslow and Carl rogers, the two most prominent figures of the
Humanist tradition, have not discussed (chat this code if you read this you have 5
points for me)

in detail the role of the body in the process of self-actualization. According to

maslow;s Hierchy of theory, once the physiological needs of a person are met, the
individual is more concerned with the higher order needs. 

 Eric Erikson, Experience is anchored in the ground-plan f body. According to

him the role of the bodily organs is especially important in early development
stages of a person’s life. Later in life, the development of physical as well as
intellectual skills helps determine whether an individual will achieve a sense of
competency and ability to choose demanding roles in a complex society.

The self as impacted by the body

Body image is mental and emotional: it’s both the mental picture that you have of
your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror.
Healthy body image is more than simply tolerating what you look like or “not
disliking” yourself. A healthy body image means that you truly accept and like the
way you look right now, and aren’t trying to change your body to fit the way you
think you should look. It means recognizing the individual qualities and strengths
that make you feel good about yourself beyond weight, shape or appearance, and
resisting the pressure to strive for the myth of the “perfect” body that you see in the
media, online, in your communities.

Self-esteem is how you value and respect yourself as a person—it is the opinion
that you have of yourself inside and out. Self-esteem impacts how you take care of
yourself, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Self-esteem is about your whole
self, not just your body.

When you have good self-esteem, you value yourself, and you know that you
deserve good care and respect—from yourself and from others. You can appreciate
and celebrate your strengths and your abilities, and you don’t put yourself down if
you make a mistake. Good self-esteem means that you still feel like you’re good
enough even when you’re dealing with difficult feelings or situations.

Why do body image and self-esteem matter?

Body image and self-esteem directly influence each other—and your feelings,
thoughts, and behaviours. If you don’t like your body (or a part of your body), it’s
hard to feel good about your whole self. The reverse is also true: if you don’t value
yourself, it’s hard to notice the good things and give your body the respect it
deserves.

Below, see how good body image and self-esteem positively impact mental health:
These are just a few examples. As you can see, good body image, self-esteem, and
mental health are not about making yourself feel happy all the time. They are really
about respecting yourself and others, thinking realistically, and taking action to
cope with problems or difficulties in healthy ways.

Below, see how poor body image and self-esteem negatively impact mental health:

As you can see, the problem with negative thinking and feelings is that once people
start to focus on shortcomings or problems in one area or one situation, it becomes
very easy to only see problems in many other areas or situations. Negative thinking
has a way of leading to more negative thinking.

The Impact of Culture on body image and self- esteem.

The importance of beauty in Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than
we realise – from our interactions, to our personal development through to others’
perception of our bodies as a reflection of self worth.

We are social beings. Genetically we rely on one another for the survival of
humanity. That primal connection makes our interactions physiologically and
psychologically important. So it’s not surprising that how society perceives us
affects us on many levels.

And it’s partly how society perceives our bodies that is of concern; we’re talking
body image. So what does that involve?

Body image is both internal (personal) and external (society) 

This includes:

How we perceive our bodies visually?

How we feel about our physical appearance?

How we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies?

Our sense of how other people view our bodies ?

How we look has possibly never held as much societal importance or reflected so
significantly on our perceived self worth.?

The media in particular, has increasingly become a platform that reinforces cultural
beliefs and projects strong views on how we should look, that we as individuals
often unknowingly or knowingly validate and perpetuate.

The more we look at perfect images of others and then look to find those same
idealised characteristics in ourselves and don’t find them, the worse we feel about
ourselves.

It’s a cycle that breeds discontent.

With such strong societal scrutiny it’s easy to see how the focus on how we look
can slide into the dark side – negative body image. Developing mindfulness can
nourish the best of who we are.

TODAY’S EMBEDDED IDEALS – THE PHYSICAL

Life today sees image upon image of fashionably clad women, perfect skin, tiny
waists, ample breasts, fashionably protruding behinds (of Kardashian and Beyonce
fame) all with a weight of no greater than 59kg.

They are unrealistic images of beauty, genetically impossible for many of us to

emulate. The same thing applies to the 6-pack or ripped abs shoved in the face of
men via famous sportsmen and male fitness models, which for many is impossible
to achieve without illegal steroids.

Yet we are told that these unattainable bodies are normal, desirable, and
achievable. When we don’t measure up we develop a strong sense of
dissatisfaction and the way that manifests can be ugly.

THE MEDIA 

The images of perfection we see in print, film and television project an unrealistic
version of reality that we are continually told is attainable – if we work out, eat less
and lather our bodies in transformative, firming and tightening creams.

The media is a powerful tool that reinforces cultural beliefs and values, and while
it may not be fully responsible for determining the standards for physical
attractiveness, it makes escaping the barrage of images and attitudes almost
impossible.

PREJUDICE – SIZE

Intolerance of body diversity has a lot to do with prejudice of size and shape in our
culture. Being thin, toned and muscular has become associated with the hard-
working, successful, popular, beautiful, strong, and the disciplined.

Being fat is associated with the lazy, ugly, weak, and lacking in will-power.

With this prejudice, fat isn’t a description like tall or redhead – it’s an indication of
moral character and we are conditioned to think that fat is bad.

Those closest to us – family and friends

We learn from other people, particularly those closest to us about the things that
are considered important.
Friendships are particularly important in body image development because we
place high value on them, spend lots of time with our friends and develop shared
experiences, values and beliefs.

Classrooms, University dorms and common rooms are often filled with negative
body talk: “I wish I had her stomach” “I hate my thighs” “I feel fat.” Listening to
this tends to reinforce the need to focus on appearance and make comparisons
between us and other people’s bodies.

So how can we build a strong and positive body image? 

Positive body image involves understanding that healthy attractive bodies come in
many shapes and sizes, and that physical appearance says very little about our
character or value as a person.

How we get to this point of acceptance often depends on our individual

development and self acceptance. To get to that all important point of balance there
are a few steps we can take:

Talk back to the media. All media and messages are developed or constructed and
are not reflections of reality. So shout back. Speak our dissatisfaction with the
focus on appearance and lack of size acceptance 

De-emphasise numbers. Kilograms on a scale don’t tell us anything meaningful

about the body as a whole or our health. Eating habits and activity patterns are
much more important 

Realize that we cannot change our body type: thin, large, short or tall, we need to
appreciate the uniqueness of what we have – and work with it 

Stop comparing ourselves to others. We are unique and we can’t get a sense of our
own body’s needs and abilities by comparing it to someone else 

We need to move and enjoy our bodies not because we have to, but because it
makes us feel good. Walking, swimming, biking, dancing – there is something for
everyone 

Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity, and
their bodies 
 

Each of us will have a positive body image when we have a realistic perception of
our bodies, when we enjoy, accept and celebrate how we are and let go of negative
societal or media perpetuated conditioning.

But the media and society in general, are not all bad.

As with most things, with the bad comes the potential for good and increasingly,
people the world over are waking up to the negativity and conditioning that we are
bombarded with daily.

If not for this awakening we would not have initiatives like Live Life Get Active;
where awakening ourselves to a healthy and fulfilled life is at the core of what we
do.

Live Life Get Active is a social initiative built to create a fitter, healthier and
happier Australia.

We approach health and well-being from a fun and socially engaging perspective
and the importance we put on a healthy lifestyle is reflected in our pricing structure
– there is none.