Date:08/03/2024 08/04/2024
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Sara
Sitting Meditation
Understanding the Formation of Self-Centeredness
Self-centeredness is not innate but gradually constructed through experience, memory, and repeated reactions. Understanding how it forms is not about rejecting the self, but about seeing how the sense of self is built—so attachment can loosen and openness can return.
1. What Is Self-Centeredness?
Self-centeredness is the mode in which consciousness organizes experience around “me,” constantly judging and reacting through divisions such as self/other, gain/loss, like/dislike, thereby reinforcing identity.
2. Conditions That Form Self-Centeredness
1.Accumulated experiences: Past memories shape present perception.
2.Emotional reinforcement: Strong emotions confirm the sense of “me.”
3.Language and concepts: Labels solidify personal boundaries.
4.Habitual identification: Thoughts and emotions are taken as self.
5.Need for protection: Self-structure develops for security.
3. Manifestations of Self-Centeredness
1.Constant comparison: Measuring oneself against others.
2.Emotional attachment: Feelings are claimed as “mine.”
3.Over-interpretation: Events are personalized.
4.Strong defensiveness: Resistance and justification arise easily.
5.Inability to relax: The mind remains tense and alert.
4. Ways to Observe Self-Centeredness
1.Tracing thoughts: Seeing how thoughts revolve around “me.”
2.Separating feeling from identity: Observing emotion without ownership.
3.Returning to the body: Reducing conceptual dominance.
4.Pausing reactions: Creating space before responding.
5.Continuous observation: Repeatedly noticing automatic patterns.
5. Facts About Self-Centeredness
Is self-centeredness inherently negative?
No—it serves a function but is not ultimate truth.
Must it be eliminated?
No—clarity naturally softens it.
What happens when it’s seen clearly?
Its grip loosens and balance returns.
Conclusion
Understanding how self-centeredness forms allows consciousness to shift from automatic reaction to clear awareness. When the mind no longer clings to “me,” spaciousness and freedom naturally emerge.
