The self is an object of thinking. It's as fake as a CNN news story. No Self. Nada. No self was born, no self will die. Nothing happens to self. "No eyes no ears no tongue no body no mind no suffering no origination no stopping no path no cognition no attainment and nothing to attain."
I always love the title of one of Alan Watts' books, "Your are IT". In three short words, he sums up the notion that we are all connected beyond individual selves.
I (or IT) thinks that eyes, ears, tongues, etc. do exist, but the self behind them is an illusion. When we say "me" we really are referring to a reference point in space. The reality is there is no sharp dividing line between you and me, the rocks and animate creatures.
When we refer to New York City, what do we mean exactly? Every living thing on Manhattan island will be gone in 120 years. And yet the City will live on.
Same goes for the human body. We see a continuous existence over decades, and yet scientists tell use the actual cells in the body have a very limited life span. In a few years, all the original cells are gone.
The rocks are a locus of some basic form of intelligence, otherwise how can remain solid. Dogs and cats are walking plants, a more survivable creature because they can forage for food on their own and not rely on favorable sun and water at a fixed point.
The irony is that we need language to even talk about these things. And the notion of a self is important to our training. We learn this concept as a child and it becomes our raft to adulthood. Hard to let that raft go...
Yeah - it's a different kind of 'hard' though. It's TRICKY. And it requires concentration, because as soon as you stop concentrating, the old hypnosis of 'there is a self and it is me and I must protect and guard it and seek out things to attach to it.'
That's NOT a bad thing by the way. Without it, you could not calculate 'your' way to the grocery store to feed yourself. It's there to keep you alive. It's the Darwin part. You NEED it to live. But if you are attached to it, you will live in SOME version of Hell. It's no different from 'The World.' It's WHY 'Heaven is already around, in and amongst you.'
But TRICKY and takes practice and concentration to HOLD this mind that experiences the truth of no self.
You said "no divisions"
I say "no divisions because nothing to divide."
I teacher once said to me "it's not that nothing exists, it's that nothing exists really"
The Buddha didn't want to teach. He thought no one would get it.
He said "The Dharma is SUBTLE."
It IS. It is very very very very subtle, because you have to un-hypnotize yourself. How do you do that? The first step is realizing that you are in a dream. It's not that nothing is real, it's that 'it's real as a dream'. Then you have to understand that you can not know reality. It's not necessary to know reality. It's only necessary to NOT think what you think is reality is reality. It's only necessary to NOT be attached to 'this' 'that' 'me' 'my' 'I' 'good' 'bad'.
The curse in the garden wasn't 'good and evil'. It was KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. This is a difficult point. 'good and evil' at the most basic level do not exist. They DO exist in that ignorance causes suffering. But even suffering is only 'just like this.'
It is very very VERY f'ing subtly, so very very VERY subtle, that language can't touch it. (That's why the Tao Te Ching says 'The Toa that can be named is not the True Toa.'
But once you see it ... (you actually never see 'it' ... once you UNsee everything -> you will laugh laugh laugh like the Buddha!"
OK end of unedited turbo typing from work! Must go watch Argentina crush Croatia!