The teeth, hair and nails are not I, nor am I bone, blood, mucus, phlegm,
pus or lymph.
Bodily oil is not I, nor is sweat, fat or the entrails either. The cavity
of the entrails is not I, nor is excrement or urine.
Flesh is not I, nor are the sinews, warmth nor air. The bodily cavities are
not I, nor is any one of the six types of consciousness.
If the self truly exists in the manner in which it appears, then it should be
identifiable as one inspects the components of a person one by one. Following
the above verses, no part of the body, including the four elements and space,
nor the six types of consciousness can be identified as the self. This implies
that the self that experiences joy and sorrow and that appears to the mind as
if it existed independently does not exist at all. This is ascertained by
engaging in such analysis.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama, in "Transcendent Wisdom", Snow Lion Publications
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