We are not our faces [abstract]

Abstract

One of the themes prevalent in my work is that the notion of "self" as separate from "other" is a mental construct. According to our senses we are separate and on those levels, we are. However, if we examine ourselves on a subatomic level, for example, we learn that our bodies are in continuous flux. On a subatomic level, there is no way to clearly differentiate between our bodies and the surrounding air. Many spiritual traditions, such as Zen Buddhism, make similar claims. Thich Nhat Hanh (1997), Zen monk and author, addresses this in terms of time: One day as I was about to step on a dry leaf, I saw the leaf in the ultimate dimension. I saw that it was not really dead, but that it was merging with the moist soil in order to appear on the tree the following spring in another form. (p. 151) According to this teaching, we must recognize that on some levels, such as on the subatomic and metaphysical levels, we are not separate from one another.