Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

2. Could you elaborate further upon the difference
between the true or great self of Buddhism and the
higher self of Hinduism? After the former has
passed through the fires of sunyata, in what sense is
there a self at all? (See Ch. X, Part Two, C.)
This is a very important question and has perplexed
many in the West who have continually mixed these up.
In my long book "Discriminations between Buddhist
and Hindu Tantras" I have been particularly concerned
to bring out the main differences which result from a
fair comparison. We should elaborate upon this matter
so that readers may clearly distinguish these two. Even
educated readers in Tibet and China are not clear
regarding this, not to speak of the confusion existing in
the minds of some Westerners, especially those with
Theosophical ideas. Our reasons for the difference
between these two concepts are:
a. The "higher self" of Hinduism has never passed
through the stage of sublimation by sunyata, whereas
the question of Self, self, etc., is many times dealt with
in Buddhism at different levels of practice. First there is
the purification effected by the Hinayana meditations on
gross ideas of "I" and "Mine": these two are not allowed
as truth in this vehicle. The Vinaya practiced by the
bhiksus of all Buddhist schools contains some silas
specially directed at the destruction of self-centered
ideas, while the sutras taught in the Hinayana are full of
injunctions aimed at the destruction of the self. Such are
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