We think we are the ones who think, speak, and act. So, quite naturally when praise or blame comes for our speech or deeds we are moved emotionally either toward elation or depression. And, conversely, we praise or blame others because we think they are the ones thinking, speaking, and doing.
But, what if we are like rivers flowing, mere verbs without an associated “I”, the mere constant movement of the mind as thought, tongue as speech, and body as action, with no one really being there as an “I”, that we now take ourselves to be, doing that, just like the river has no “I” yet it is in constant motion just like our minds, tongues, and bodies.
To take another example, suppose you are rowing a boat, and suddenly from behind another boat comes and hits yours, and you fall into the water as your boat capsizes. Naturally, there will immediately be the feeling of anger toward whoever you thought was rowing the other boat that crashed into you. But, when you look back, suppose you see that the boat was empty and it had crashed into yours merely being driven by the winds. What do you think will happen to your anger? It will subside totally, right? Because there was no one in the other boat and the accident was a natural occurrence.
Similarly, when we realize that there is no entity or person called an “I” sitting somewhere inside ourselves and directing our thoughts, speech and actions, what do you think will happen to the impulse to praise or blame others for their speech or actions, and to the impulse to feel pride or shame for what we think is our speech and actions? Those will disappear once we realize that there is no such thing as an “I” the way we now take that “I” to be, which is directing the thoughts, speech, and actions of ourselves and others.
Also, consider this logic: Are you the thinker of your thoughts? Clearly not because it’s not as if you are sitting in your mind and choosing the thoughts you think. Thoughts just pop into your head, and you keep thinking and feeling that you are the thinker of those thoughts, though clearly, that is not the case. Thoughts are dependent on the whole of your biological past and past life experiences and knowledge that have made you into the person you are today, or more specifically, the way they have conditioned your mind to be the way it is in the present, AND the environmental cues and influences impinging on you in the present and interacting with your mind. It is this interaction between your mind conditioned by the past and the present environment in which it finds itself that determines what thoughts are produced in your mind, in which you as a person have no say. Thus, if you are not the thinker of your thoughts how can you be the doer of your actions, because it is thoughts that determine and drive your actions.
Ponder the above deeply to find peace of mind under all circumstances.
Know Thyself 