Buddhism and Existentialism

Not Self, Nothingness, and Being

Anyone who has sat in meditation and studied the not-self doctrine has undoubtedly grappled with the question as to who or what exists if everything which can be experienced is not selfwhether the doctrine is pointing to some individual being, some true self, or if no inherent entity exists apart from the illusion of self. Surprisingly, despite two-and-a-half millennia, this question is still in dispute. In this book, I discuss the difficulties posed by a no-self interpretation of the not-self doctrine and apply insights gained from existential philosophy to reveal the nature of consciousness as not like anything else which can be experienced: a Not-Self, a Nothingness, and a Being.