Narcissism and Buddhism

I would like to clear some things up. There are many misunderstandings in regard to Buddhist teachings. Narcissism is obsession with one's self image, survival etc. It is a need to be important and accepted or better than others. It stems from fear based longing like all other afflictions. This is completely different from a desire to nurture and master one's body and mind. In order to serve others we must first heal ourselves and learn many lessons through experience. Selfish can mean too much attention to self or it can mean the appropriate amount of attention.

The self is a word we use to describe our personality, mind and body. It is just a word. In that respect there is no real self and is an illusion. It is intangible. That does not mean there is no self theoretically. The ego is not a bad thing that must be removed. It is a state of consciousness. I AM.Therefore I think about the word EGO and what it means. But ultimately it is just a concept.

Buddhism is NOT about self abnegation or denial of anything to serve others. That is one branch of Buddhism and one aspect or school of thought. But fundamental Buddhism is about taming thoughts and seeing reality for what it is. The true nature of reality is illusory. There is a story about a monk that was taught by his master to be compassionate and never harm any living thing. Compassion is the most important thing in ZEN because it is the difference between suffering and not suffering in a world where $#%^ HAPPENS. But the master suddenly stepped on a cockroach. The student was beside himself. "Why did you do that? I thought you were to show compassion to all living thing!" He said, " I am sending him to a better place. What kind of life is that?" So you see it is all MIND and how we see things. People will use Buddhism and all other religions to justify their actions and thoughts. But the true basic teachings of Buddhism are TRUTH about the MIND and the nature of reality without the ego distorting that truth. We choose compassion because it feels better. Not because it is the correct path. It is one path. I personally choose the path of compassion and love. But that does not mean I am perfect. Buddhism is a practice. It does not give you a license to play god or supreme being. If I become angry I can say it is because I didn't feel well or someone was mean to me. But ultimately I got angry because I forgot that I was in control of my thoughts. I can choose to be at peace at any moment regardless of the adversity all around us or who is to blame. This is why I support Buddhist teachings.

I associate Buddhism with codependency. It is a product of projected personalities of Borderline Narcissists. Really, this is the case with all religions, cults and Left Wing ideologies. I much prefer my own counter dependent nihilism.

MeAgain wrote:I associate Buddhism with codependency. It is a product of projected personalities of Borderline Narcissists. Really, this is the case with all religions, cults and Left Wing ideologies. I much prefer my own counter dependent nihilism.

Takes a long time to realize this tho, when youre in that sort of club. The guy who in his mindful bliss replied to a four year old thread to preach to us the true nature of his religion reminds me of my old religious self in the last decade. Youre so busy imaginign all that religious crap you dont even realize its just imagination and all circles round yourself.