Date: 08/23/2025 08/24/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Sitting Meditation
The Experience of “No-Self” in Meditative States
“No-self” does not negate existence; it dissolves the rigid sense of “I.”In deep meditation, as body softens, thoughts lose grip, and awareness stabilizes, the feeling of a separate self naturally fades.It is a gentle, open, and profound freedom — one of the core insights of the contemplative path.
1.What Is “No-Self”?
1.Loosening of ego-clinging
The self is normally constructed from body, thoughts, emotions, and memory.When the mind stops grasping them, selfhood weakens.
2.No-self is not emptiness or numbness
It is awake, bright, and deeply alive.
3.No-self is transcendence, not annihilation
It reveals that the self is a temporary construct, not an absolute entity.
2.How Does the No-Self Experience Arise?
1.When the body is no longer “me”
The body feels light, spacious, or transparent.
2.When thoughts no longer represent “me”
Thoughts arise but no longer define your identity.
3.When awareness becomes primary
Awareness is stable; thinking becomes secondary.
4.When the subject–object divide dissolves
Experience unfolds without a separate observer.
3.Characteristics of the No-Self Experience
1.Lightness and spaciousness of the mind
A shift from the narrow “self-room” to vast openness.
2.The disappearance of self-centeredness
Life no longer revolves around “me.”
3.Natural unfolding of phenomena
Experiences arise and pass effortlessly.
4.Deep calm and freedom
No self to defend, nothing to cling to.
4.The Significance of No-Self
1.Reduction of suffering
Most suffering arises from clinging to a solid “me.”
2.Greater clarity
Free from ego bias, insight becomes sharper.
3.Expansion of heart and compassion
Attention moves from self-concern to openness and connection.
4.Foundation for wisdom and liberation
No-self is at the heart of Buddhist insight.
5.Common Misunderstandings
1.Confusing no-self with nihilism
No-self enriches experience; it does not erase it.
2.Expecting dramatic mystical states
True no-self is usually subtle and natural.
3.Becoming attached to the experience
Attachment recreates a new “self.”
6.How to Allow No-Self to Arise Naturally
1.Relax deeply
Tension reinforces selfhood.
2.Cultivate stable awareness
Awareness illuminates the illusion of self.
3.Observe thoughts without identification
Seeing thoughts as phenomena dissolves the “thinker.”
4.Drop the “my” habit
Experiences are simply experiences, not “mine.”
Conclusion
No-self is not disappearance but the release of self-centered illusion.When awareness is bright and grasping fades, selfhood dissolves naturally,revealing a vast, peaceful, and unbounded mind.It is an insight that arises spontaneously when the mind stops clinging.
