Buddhism and Existentialism

Anyone who has sat in meditation and studied the not-self doctrine has undoubtedly grappled with the question as to who or what exists if everything which can be experienced is 'not self'--whether the doctrine is pointing to some individual being, some 'true self, ' or if no inherent entity exists apart from the illusion of self. Surprisingly, despite two-and-a-half millennia, this question is still in dispute.

In this book, I discuss the difficulties posed by a no-self interpretation of the not-self doctrine and apply insights gained from existential philosophy to reveal the nature of consciousness as not like anything else which can be experienced: a Not-Self, a Nothingness, and a Being.