In Zen, the concept of self is an illusion from "summary" of The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
The fundamental doctrine of Buddhism is that all conditioned things are impermanent. This includes all physical things, as well as all mental things, such as sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and consciousness itself. There is no permanent self that stands apart from this ceaseless flow of change. The doctrine of anatman, or "no-self," is not a mere theory, but a way of life that is to be realized in the depths of one's being. In Zen Buddhism, this realization is often brought about through the practice of meditation. By sitting quietly and observing the thoughts and sensations that arise in the mind, one comes to see that there is no fixed, unchanging self at the center of experience. Instead, there is a continuous process of becoming, in which everything is interconnected and interdependent. This realization is not a matter of intellectual understanding, but of direct insight into the nature of reality. It is a radical shift in perspective that can be disorienting and even frightening, as it undermines all our cherished notions of who we are and what we believe to be true. Yet, it is also profoundly liberating, as it opens up the possibil...
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