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2.2.2 Buddhist approaches to the ‘SelfThe decision to separate an analysis of Buddhist ‘writing’ on the self from other spiritualapproaches (see below) is a conscious decision. It is based on the understanding that Buddhismis a philosophy, not a spirituality and also that its philosophical underpinnings are all derivedfrom Siddhata Gautama’s insight that his self, was his own vehicle to enlightenment. “One trulyis the protector of oneself, who else could the protector be? With oneself fully controlled, onegains a mastery that is hard to gain.” (Buddharakkita 1985). This is quite different, say, toAugustine’s approach which was theological and dependent as seen above.By way of illustration, the following piece of reflexivity is offered.Vignette 2: Buddhism and ChangeI was taken aback at the end of one PGCE year when posing the evaluation questionto the students, “What have you learned this year which has changed you…?” Oneboldly replied, “…nothing, I haven’t changed at all.” It was not my intention to letthe silence speak for itself, I was just surprised. The silence was broken by one ofthe others, a practising Buddhist, who replied that everything in life causes us tochange 13 . No-one, he argued, could have been through the experience of PGCEwithout having changed.Selves then are changed and affected by the circumstances in which they find themselves. Thisis remarkably similar to the phenomenological approach which accounts for the ‘intentionality’of events and their impact on selves and vice versa. As Sokolowski says, “phenomenology isthe study of human experience and the way things present themselves to us in and through suchexperience.” (Sokolowski 2000 p.2)13 See, for example, Carrithers (1996)47Simon Hughes Ph.D. Thesis (October 2012)