Originally Posted by Jack16
I read somewhere that the native Americans had a way of viewing all kinds of suffering. If they felt physical pain or emotional pain they would say: "A man is in pain", or "A man is sad" rather than "I am sad" etc. It obviously gave them enough distance to dissociate, which is just like AVRT.
Yes, the Buddhists use similar language. Not "I am sad", but "sadness is passing through", or "sadness is visiting me", etc I think it's similar in the way that AVRT addresses the pronoun situation to create separation. Not I, but It. You don't want a drink, It does. It is simply visiting, passing through...like an annoying acquaintance trying to chat you up. It has no power over You.
Buddhists say that trying to push undesirable emotions or thoughts or desires away...actively fighting them, that creates a connection with them. When you disengage, there is no connection. "Fighting" the beast by either trying to reason with the AV or force it to go away, creates the engagement and connection that the Beast wants. It gets you involved in a match that it may eventually win, since It has successfully gotten You there on the court with It. If you never even set foot on the court, it cannot beat You.