People in the media are treating Jim Carrey as if he’s had a nervous breakdown, but it seems to me that he’s just studying Buddhism:
An erratic new Jim Carrey interview has led people to make comparisons with Charlie Sheen, who famously once described himself as a ‘warlock’ with ‘tiger blood’.
The deep philosophy in what he is saying “I don’t believe you exist” or “There is no me” is derived from the Buddhist belief that there is no Self. That the Self, or what we call Self is in a constant state of becoming.
Even neuroscientists agree with this theory that there is no Self. You are just a collection of memories and habits in a sequence that’s unique to you.
What you identify with is always changing. Just remember the difference in identity when you were in highschool.
Even most of your thoughts are not yours!
Jim, saying this in an interview before a fashion show, tells a lot more than just that.
He is trying to make people aware that their identity, their ego, is not them.
I just watched it, and it’s obviously a little bizarre the way he conveyed his thoughts the way he did, but the thoughts themselves surprisingly made a lot of sense and actually seemed to be really well put if he had been talking to a bunch of buddhists instead of a fashion reporter.
The fact that entertainment reporters would compare him to a dirtbag like Charlie Sheen for not answering questions the way they expected suggests how out of touch so much of the world is with the Buddha’s teachings. Even a person who isn’t Buddhist, if educated, would at least recognize the doctrine of non-self when they hear it.
Most of these people, when the say “there is no I” , they mean annihilation.
Only a person who heard Buddh’s message will understand the dependent origination.
Well let’s not start judging charlie sheen for the way he is, or we’re just like those reporters and hosts. You never know what happened throughout a person’s life that led them to be who they are. I would agree though that their reactions show how out of touch with the truth they are. As soon as someone hears “I don’t really exist” or something like that, they immediately think drugs or some “out there” burn out. To be fair though, hearing the Dhamma in the right context, the right set and setting if you will, makes a huge difference. Those same television hosts could hear a similar thing the very next day, but in a different mind set and from someone they trust and in a different way, and they could totally understand and see the truth of it. You can never blame someone from the causes and conditions that led them to the moment they currently are in their life, it’s much more productive, and compassionate, to think of the causes and conditions that will lead them to a better place in the next moment, a place at least one step closer to awakening.
I’m certainly not saying that he is a particularly wholesome force in the world, just that it does no good to judge someone for the place life has lead them; better to look for the necessary conditions for it to lead them in the direction of less suffering. Obviously we most likely can’t have any effect on his life, but that’s even more of a reason to stay compassionate, even if it’s just for the purity of our own minds.
One of the problems in this area is that when people with mental health struggles encounter Buddhism, they often tend to frame or perceive their own issues through a Buddhist lens. And if you don’t know any background, it can be difficult on a superficial level to tell the difference. This why it’s so important to teach Dhamma in a gradual way, ensuring people are fully grounded on fundamentals. It’s so easy to let the mind spin out on concepts like not-self or emptiness or Nibbana, but if someone is not balanced, they’ll just grab the snake by the tail.
One of my students many years ago was a young woman, highly intelligent, indeed brilliant, very kind and generous, devoted to Dhamma, keeping excellent precepts, and participating in a generous and valuable way in the local Buddhist communities. She was a lively, funny, and much-loved member of the community. But she was also afflicted with schizophrenia.
And the form her paranoia took was terrifying. Her deep fear was that all sentient beings in samsara would become enlightened. Except her. She would be left alone, the only one out of countless trillions of sentient beings who was truly unworthy of peace and happiness. Over endless lives she would witness every being growing in the Dhamma and entering Nibbana, until eventually it was just her. Forever and alone, knowing that she truly was the worst of all sentient beings.
Who’s Jim Carey?
(Whoever he is, maybe he’s gone off the edge, maybe not. Who knows? But if not it just shows what ‘against the stream’ looks like in 2018.)
A very important point, articulated perfectly. Thanks, Bhante.
Yes, Jimisommer. This is so true. Thinking this way (and remembering that my present struggle is entirely due to my past undisciplined ways) helps me to remain immovable in my discipline when thinking about my abusive ex and abusive father. I just want to say that it’s possible to maintain a calm mind and compassion, even when confronted with immense pain like this.
Kensho, don’t give up. Jimisommer, thanks for sharing. We are all suffering, and have the right to struggle with it. All of us just want peace and happiness, eh?
I dont know anything else but I just like Jim, and from first contact had a sense that this guy was a bit out of the blue …
No need to mention his talent for acting on screen, but new to me is his interesting creations and thought around his new hobby
