Soul vs Spirit

<p>Today is about the question, “Who am I?” </p><p><br /> </p><p>We talk about why it matters and how we hold it in a context where we debate if we even exist on certain levels. Specifically - I want to talk about the concept of non-self and and Ultimate Oneness as well as how - and if - this can exist simultaneously alongside the concept of the individual soul. I’m going to do this while reminding you that I’m no philosophy or theology expert, and that I’m sharing my own experience of this debate along the path - and it’s not a straight line!</p><p><br /> </p><p>A friend recently asked me if Buddhism teaches that “nothing exists outside of the mind,” including self. Of course, Buddhism isn’t easy to give short answers about. Its teachings include over 2600 years of monastic debate, and of <strong>all</strong> the world religions, its doctrines are particularly diverse and contradictory, which I <strong>dig</strong>, but it can frustrate others. Especially if you want black and white answers.</p><p><br /> </p><p>The “mind only” school of Buddhism can be interpreted as one that suggests “nothing exists outside the mind.” And you could say that Yogachara taught that while <strong>consciousness</strong> is ultimately real and perceptions arise in <strong>consciousness</strong>, perceptions are <strong>provisional</strong>, without <strong>essence</strong>, and are <strong>dependent</strong>. No existence in and of <strong>themselves</strong>.</p><p><br /> </p><p>Now, it’s my <strong>own</strong> personal experience that we see a lot of spiritual bypassing when people ignore the suffering of individuals or groups of oppressed people, for example, and say they believe ultimately that we are One and that the individual self doesn’t exist, so therefore we shouldn’t focus on peoples’ differences and how their experiences in life might be different.</p><p><br /> </p><p>They’ll <strong>shun</strong> the idea of the individual and try to transcend that and aim for the Oneness. This <i>seems</i> like a noble cause - to not l