Q: Isn't there no self? Who acts and who creates the kamma? A: You.

Question: So there’s no self. So in that case, who acts and who creates the kamma?

Thanissaro Bhikkhu: The Buddha never said that there is no self. When he teaches not-self, he’s teaching a technique, a strategy for getting rid of attachment.

There’s a common misconception that the Buddha starts with the idea of there being no self, and in the context of no self teaches the doctrine of kamma, which doesn’t make sense: If there’s no self, who does the kamma and who receives the results? But that misconception gets the context backwards. Actually, the Buddha starts with the doctrine of kamma, and then views ideas of “self” and “not-self” as types of kamma. In other words, he focuses on seeing the way we define our sense of self as an action. Then the question becomes, when is the activity of identifying things as your self skillful, and when is it not? When is the activity of identifying things as not-self skillful, and when is it not?

There are some instances where the Buddha advises using a skillful sense of self to help you on the path, to give you the motivation to practice and the encouragement that you’re capable of the practice. There are other instances where he teaches the concept of not-self, to teach you to abandon any attachments that are not worth identifying with, so as to help you go further on the path. At the end of the path, you let go of both concepts. So if you ask who’s doing your kamma, the answer simply is you.

~ The Karma of Mindfulness: The Buddha's Teachings on Sati and Kamma

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