Self and Non-Self

Reviewing Inflammation and Immunity in my Med/Surg textbook this morning I chuckled at the section title "Self and Non-Self" thinking "so different from the Buddhist use of these words."  Then I stopped and thought "wait, is that true?"

The terms self and non-self in the textbook are very similar to how we often perceive self and other.  In this view we are a solid entity with some permanence until we die.  Other is everything else.  Foreign proteins are recognized as other and a healthy immune system acts to neutralize the "threat."

Many toxins are not proteins or are not recognized as foreign.  Our body does not recognize them as other but they can still do harm to our cells, organs, and bodies.  Some harmless foreign proteins trigger an immune response and cause allergies ranging from uncomfortable to life-threatening.  Sometimes our bodies own functions are highjacked to propagate more of what caused an infection in the first place.  Lastly, sometimes our bodies recognize our own proteins as foreign resulting in autoimmune disorders.

It seems to me that our immune system and our ego function similarly.  It serves us well most of the time, but sometimes it misses harmful things because they look familiar, sometimes it is hyperactive and causes more harm than good, sometimes it aids what it is trying to avoid, and sometimes it turns on the self.

When I have asked Buddhist teachers about effective ways to deal with conflict the response is often some form of "work on your self."  Buddhism does not teach the shunning of self, but rather a very deep understanding and acceptance of self which leads to the realization that the self is not separate from anything else.