True Self / Atman / Shen-Mind: The 'Central Self' Across Traditions

BY NICOLE LAU

Who are you?

Not your name. Not your job. Not your personality. Not your thoughts or emotions.

Who is the one who witnesses all of this?

Every mystical tradition points to the same answer:

Beneath the changing surface of personality, thoughts, and emotions lies something unchanging. Something eternal. Something that is you but deeper than anything you call "me."

The Jungians call it the Self.

The Vedantists call it Atman (आत्मन्).

The Taoists call it Shen (神) or Original Spirit (元神).

The Buddhists call it Buddha-nature (佛性).

Different names. Different languages. Different cultural contexts.

Same reality.

The Self vs. The Ego

First, a critical distinction:

Ego — The conscious personality, the "I" you think you are, the constructed identity

Self — The totality of the psyche, the center and circumference, the true identity

The ego is part of the Self, but not the whole.

Think of it like this:

• The ego is the captain of the ship
• The Self is the entire ship, the ocean, and the journey

Or:

• The ego is the actor playing a role
• The Self is the awareness watching the performance

Most people identify only with the ego. They think the actor is the role.

Individuation is the process of shifting identity from ego to Self.

Jung's Self: The Center and Totality

Carl Jung discovered the Self through observing mandala symbols that spontaneously appeared in his patients' dreams and art.

The mandala—a circle with a center—is the universal symbol of the Self.

Characteristics of the Jungian Self:

• Center — The organizing principle of the psyche
• Totality — Contains all aspects: conscious/unconscious, light/shadow, masculine/feminine
• Transpersonal — Larger than the personal ego, connected to the collective
• Numinous — Experienced as sacred, divine, overwhelming
• Goal of individuation — The ego's task is to establish conscious relationship with the Self

Jung wrote: "The Self is not only the center but also the whole circumference which embraces both conscious and unconscious; it is the center of this totality, just as the ego is the center of consciousness."

The Self appears in dreams and visions as:

• Mandalas, circles, sacred geometry
• Divine child, wise old man/woman
• Christ, Buddha, divine figures
• Precious stones, gold, the philosopher's stone

Atman (आत्मन्): The Vedantic True Self

In Vedanta, Atman is the eternal, unchanging Self—the witness consciousness.

Key Teachings:

"Tat Tvam Asi" (तत् त्वम् असि) — "Thou Art That"

The individual Atman is Brahman (universal consciousness). There is no separation.

What you truly are is not the body, not the mind, not the personality—but pure awareness itself.

The Five Koshas (Sheaths):

Atman is covered by five layers (like an onion):

1. Annamaya Kosha — Physical body (food sheath)
2. Pranamaya Kosha — Energy body (vital sheath)
3. Manomaya Kosha — Mental body (mind sheath)
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha — Wisdom body (intellect sheath)
5. Anandamaya Kosha — Bliss body (causal sheath)

Beneath all five sheaths is Atman—pure, unchanging, eternal awareness.

"Neti Neti" (नेति नेति) — "Not This, Not This"

The method of discovering Atman: Negate everything that changes.

• "I am not the body" (the body changes, ages, dies)
• "I am not the emotions" (emotions come and go)
• "I am not the thoughts" (thoughts arise and pass)
• "I am not the personality" (personality shifts over time)

What remains after all negation? The witness. The one who observes all of this.

That is Atman. That is what you truly are.

Shen (神): The Taoist Original Spirit

In Taoist internal alchemy, Shen (神) is the highest of the Three Treasures (三寶):

• 精 (Jing) — Essence, physical vitality
• 氣 (Qi) — Energy, life force
• 神 (Shen) — Spirit, consciousness, the true self

Two Types of Shen:

1. 識神 (Shi Shen) — Conscious Spirit

• The acquired mind, the ego, the thinking self
• Developed through socialization and learning
• Constantly active, chattering, planning, worrying
• Must be quieted to access the deeper Shen

2. 元神 (Yuan Shen) — Original Spirit

• The primordial consciousness, the true self
• Present from birth, connected to the Dao
• Silent, still, witnessing, eternal
• The goal of Taoist practice: return to Yuan Shen

The Taoist path: 炼神还虚 (Liàn shén huán xū) — Refine the spirit and return to emptiness.

This means: Quiet the acquired mind (Shi Shen), return to the original spirit (Yuan Shen), and ultimately merge with the Dao (emptiness/fullness).

Buddha-Nature (佛性): The Buddhist True Nature

In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha-nature (佛性) is the inherent potential for awakening present in all beings.

Key Teachings:

"All beings have Buddha-nature"

You are not becoming a Buddha. You already are Buddha—you just don't recognize it.

Enlightenment is not gaining something new. It's recognizing what you already are.

The Tathagatagarbha (如來藏) — "Buddha-womb"

Like a seed contains the entire tree, every being contains the complete Buddha-nature.

It's covered by obscurations (ignorance, attachment, aversion), but it's always there, always perfect, always complete.

Zen: "Your original face before you were born"

Zen koans point to this: What is your face before your parents were born?

Not the personality you developed. Not the identity you constructed. But the original awareness that was there before all of that.

The Structural Correspondence

Let's map the convergence:

Tradition	Term	Meaning	Opposite
Jungian	Self	Center and totality of psyche	Ego (conscious personality)
Vedanta	Atman (आत्मन्)	Eternal witness, pure awareness	Ahamkara (ego, "I-maker")
Taoism	Yuan Shen (元神)	Original spirit, primordial consciousness	Shi Shen (識神, acquired mind)
Buddhism	Buddha-nature (佛性)	Inherent awakened nature	Deluded mind (ignorance)
Christianity	Christ-consciousness	Divine spark, image of God	Fallen nature, sin
Kabbalah	Neshamah (נשמה)	Divine soul, breath of God	Nefesh (animal soul)

Common characteristics across all:

• Eternal — Unchanging, beyond birth and death
• Witness — The observer of all experience
• Divine — Connected to or identical with ultimate reality
• Hidden — Covered by layers of conditioning, ego, ignorance
• Goal — The purpose of spiritual practice is to realize/return to this

Why This Matters for Practice

Understanding the Central Self gives you:

1. Identity Shift
You can begin to disidentify from the ego and identify with the Self. "I am not my thoughts" becomes experiential, not just conceptual.

2. Witness Consciousness
You can practice being the witness—the awareness that observes thoughts, emotions, sensations without being caught in them.

3. Spiritual Direction
You understand the goal of practice: not to improve the ego, but to realize the Self. Not self-improvement, but Self-realization.

The Operational Truth

Here's what all traditions agree on:

• You are not the ego (personality, thoughts, emotions)
• You are the Self (witness, awareness, eternal consciousness)
• The Self is already complete—you don't create it, you recognize it
• The Self is covered by layers of conditioning and identification
• Spiritual practice is removing the coverings, not adding something new

This is not philosophy. This is direct recognition of what you are.

Practice: Self-Inquiry (Atma Vichara)

Sit in stillness. Practice the ancient method of Self-inquiry:

Ask: "Who am I?"

Not as a conceptual question, but as a direct investigation.

Negate what you are not:

• "I am not the body" — The body changes, ages. What witnesses this?
• "I am not the emotions" — Emotions come and go. What remains?
• "I am not the thoughts" — Thoughts arise and pass. Who observes them?
• "I am not the personality" — Personality shifts. What is constant?

Rest in what remains:

After all negation, what's left?

Awareness itself.

The witness. The observer. The one who is aware of all experience but is not any particular experience.

That is the Self.

That is Atman.

That is Yuan Shen.

That is Buddha-nature.

That is what you truly are.

Not the wave. The ocean.

Not the actor. The awareness watching the play.

Not the changing content. The unchanging witness.

You are That.

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Next in series: How the Unconscious Was Seen in Eastern and Western Esoteric Thought