TAICHUNG, TAIWAN – Venerable Jianhu concluded a transformative two-day lecture series titled "Deconstructing the Self" at Feng Chia University on November 4, 2025. Organized as topic two of Jianhu Shifu’s “Understanding the Self” lecture series, the event addressed faculty, students, and the public on the core Buddhist wisdom of "Non-self". Drawing from the Śūraṃgama Sūtra, Venerable Jianhu distinguished between pure "Awareness"—the mind’s fundamental, non-judgmental state—and "Consciousness," which constructs an illusory self through labels and narratives. He explained that human suffering stems from clinging to a permanent, independent identity. By deconstructing the self as "impermanent, non-singular, and not in control," individuals can transcend emotional attachment and habitual patterns. The lecture emphasized that our perceived "self" is often a collection of past influences and ignorance. Shifu went into details of the three primary misunderstandings of the self: the illusions of permanence, independence, control. Finally, shifu urged attendees to view each day as a "new self," transforming challenges into opportunities for growth through the lens of emptiness and awareness. (This talk series will be presented in English in 2026)