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Face Transplants & Notion Of Self

This link is about mainly the first ever face transplant and a few other people with sever facial injuries. Now in Buddhism we are brought to realise that we create this notion of a self and our body is just a coming together of many things. So on that note, if you have liberated oneself and something of this magnitude happened to you, would you go through all of the stress and suffering? Would you require a face transplant? The face is 95% of our identity and is a major factor of 'who we are' so to speak

Comments

  • I see someone middle-aged with wrinkles when I look in the mirror.

    That's just not me!
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited September 2013

    The face is 95% of our identity and is a major factor of 'who we are' so to speak

    Says who? This opens up a good discussion topic:

    What gives you your sense of "self"?

    To me, it's personality, values, that kind of thing. People's faces change (watch a kid growing; in childhood they may look like one parent, in the teen years, the morph into the other parent, then in early adulthood they may look like a blend of both. In middle age, their appearance may change again depending on weight, how well they've taken care of themselves (or not) re: sun exposure, smoking & drinking), etc. Faces are far from static), and their bodies can change radically between childhood and adulthood, and again at middle age and old age. If you hang your identity on those very fluid factors, you could be in for a confusing and tumultuous life! ;)

  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    Your face actually comprises a small part of your identity which becomes more apparent with age and meditative experience.
    My identity is actually my habituated manipulations of the sense gates (What you see, hear, smell, taste, and the body & the mind) with form/ sensation/ thought / activity & consciousness.
    Dakini
  • I am inclined to agree with Tom. Face is often the ME we identify with. It is easy to say it doesn't matter when our faces are okay. But if something happens, then we will realize how much our identity depends on our face.
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