Yeos asked: “And so on relatively to forms, consciousness, the aggregates…etc; meaning that which arises and falls away can never be considered as the “Self” ? And if so – why ? Or in other words one might also envisage a Self which is unceasing metamorphosis ?
The sutta’s teach all conditioned phenomena to see like this: ‘this is not mine, not who i am, no myself’.
Yes, whatever arises and ceases can never be self. For example, if thoughts (inner verbal talk) would be self than you would cease when thoughts cease. This is not the case. The same with gati, anusaya, asava, tanha, lobha, dosa, moha etc. It cannot be ourselves. When it ceases we do not cease.
So how can we be what arises and ceases in our experience?
Siebe