Self, No Self

I think I still don't entirely grasp the Buddhist concept of no-self.

Every time I think I have the gist of it, I stumble across something on the web or in a book that gives a new slant on it, and I have to go back and rethink it.

What if there truly is no self? The first time I encountered that notion, it left me a little uneasy. I think that happens to everyone. At first, I didn't want there to not be a me.

But then I thought, 'you know, if I'm not real -- not a separate, independent entity -- that makes things a lot easier.'

Think about all the stuff we have in our culture that goes along with being a self:

Self-respect
Self-doubt
Self-motivation
Self-loathing
Self-love
Self-questioning
Self-sabotage
Self-confidence...

If there's no self, you can wipe all that stuff off the table with a broad sweep of your arm and then have some pancakes.