🌀 Quantum Physics and Non-Self Series (2) There Is No One Who Is Truly “Me” – Rethinking the Concept of Self
🌀 Quantum Physics and Non-Self Series (2)
There Is No One Who Is Truly “Me” – Rethinking the Concept of Self
— Moments of Disintegration and Insight in Traditional Oriental Medicine
🪞 “Who Am I?” — The Oldest Question
👉 Read Part 1: Where Is the Electron? — Quantum Physics and the Absence of Substance
“Who am I?”
This question doesn’t belong to philosophers or monks alone.
Many patients who visit the clinic mention symptoms like insomnia, digestive issues, or fatigue.
But underneath those symptoms, this deeper question often lingers.
“I don’t feel like myself.”
“I don’t know who I am anymore.”
“I just... don’t feel anything.”
They come for physical healing, but what they often carry is a fracture in the sense of self itself.
1️⃣ Non-Self (Anatta): Is the Self a Substance or a Composition?
In Buddhism, non-self (anatta) does not mean “the self does not exist.”
It means that the self is not a fixed, independent entity, but rather a temporary combination of elements.
This idea resonates with quantum physics.
Just as electrons lack a fixed position and exist only as probabilities,
the self, too, operates only within specific conditions and contexts—
a provisional structure rather than a solid core.
In traditional Korean medicine, the self is seen as an aspect of “Heart (心)”,
not referring to the anatomical heart, but to a spiritual center that emerges
within the dynamic balance of Essence (精), Energy (氣), and Spirit (神) among the organs.
This Eastern understanding of the self stands in contrast to the Western philosophical tradition.
For example, Descartes declared, “I think, therefore I am (Cogito, ergo sum),”
asserting the thinking self as the undeniable foundation of being.
In contrast, the doctrine of non-self offers a fluid and relational model of identity—
one that is always changing, always conditioned.
Interestingly, modern psychology echoes this perspective, acknowledging that identity shifts depending on experience and situation.
2️⃣ What Makes Up the “Self”?
The elements that shape our sense of “I” include:
-
Memory (Liver): When memory falters, we lose a sense of who we are.
For example, in dementia, the inability to recognize loved ones shows a deep disruption of self. -
Emotions (Heart, Lung, Liver): Emotional numbness or volatility can destabilize identity.
In depression, the absence of emotional resonance often leads to a loss of self-recognition. -
Energy and Vitality (Spleen, Kidney): When energy is depleted, the self may feel diminished, passive, or disconnected.
-
Thinking and Focus (Heart, Kidney): Cognitive decline can lead to confusion about one’s own identity.
-
Boundaries and Autonomy (Liver, Lung): When we cannot speak or act from within, we feel trapped in others’ expectations—
like we are not the authors of our own lives.
When these components fall out of balance, patients often say:
“I don’t feel like myself.”
It may not just be stress or fatigue—it may be a temporary collapse of the self-structure.
3️⃣ Case from the Clinic – A Fractured Self
A woman in her 40s came in with insomnia and digestive problems.
Though the initial diagnosis might point to Heart Qi Deficiency (心氣虛) and Stomach Deficiency (胃虛),
her tears during the consultation revealed something deeper.
“I raise my kids, I work, I do everything I’m supposed to...
but sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t know who I am.
I just feel like a machine doing the same roles over and over.”
In such cases, treating the stomach alone isn’t enough.
We need to restore the dynamic relationship among the Heart (心), Liver (肝), and Kidney (腎).
Especially, Heart Qi Deficiency is not only about low energy—
it can reflect a weakened awareness of self and vitality.
At the same time, therapeutic dialogue is essential to help the patient reconnect with herself.
This reveals how traditional medicine’s theories of Essence, Energy, and Spirit
can serve not just as physiological concepts but also as a framework for self-restoration.
4️⃣ Non-Self Is Not Destruction — It Is Liberation
The point of non-self is not to erase the self.
Rather, it’s to recognize that we are not stuck with a single, unchanging identity.
Once we understand that the self is not fixed,
we are no longer trapped by the painful “I” we experience today.
It opens the door to transformation.
Knowing that identity is conditional means we are free to reconstruct ourselves.
Like a river reshaping its path around a rock, the self can adapt and find new flow.
Traditional Korean medicine shares this approach.
Instead of labeling a person with a rigid diagnosis,
it offers healing through harmony, flow, and possibility.
The goal is not merely symptom relief,
but to restore balance and vitality—so the patient can once again live as the author of their own life.
This is the essence of East Asian healing philosophy.
🔚 In Summary – Not Losing the Self, but Gaining a New One
When someone says, “I don’t feel like myself,”
it may not be a breakdown—it might be a threshold of change.
Non-self does not mean abandoning the self,
but realizing that our identity is constructed and conditioned—
and therefore, we are free to reconstruct ourselves anew.
Traditional Korean medicine supports that freedom
by helping the body, mind, and spirit return to harmony.
📌 Coming Next
The Eightfold Path and the 8-Fold Way – A Metaphor of Order in Chaos
The Buddhist Eightfold Path and the physicist 8-Fold Way
come from entirely different worlds.
Yet both reflect a deep human instinct:
to find patterns of order in the midst of complexity.
In the next post, we’ll explore how these two frameworks help us make sense of chaos—
and how that insight informs clinical practice in Korean medicine.
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