Have you ever felt like you’re not entirely in control—like some unseen force inside you is making choices on your behalf?
In the latest episode of the Secular Buddhism podcast, I explore the metaphor of the mind as a car filled with emotional passengers. Sometimes, anger jumps into the driver’s seat. Other times, fear slams on the brakes, or hesitation veers off course. Each of these “passengers” represents a part of us—emotions, habits, mental patterns—that arise in response to our experiences.
Drawing from the Buddhist teaching of anatta (no-self) and inspired by the therapeutic lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), this episode invites us to pause and ask: Who’s driving the car right now?
The teaching of no-self isn’t about erasing your identity—it’s about loosening the grip of any one emotional state or story, and learning to respond to life with greater awareness, compassion, and choice.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- A relatable analogy that brings the no-self concept to life
- A breakdown of the five aggregates (form, feelings, perception, mental formations, and consciousness)
- How emotions like anger, shame, and fear try to “protect” us by taking the wheel
- A simple, practical practice for identifying which “part” of you is currently driving
- How awareness creates space—and freedom—in the middle of emotional reactivity
🎧 Listen to Episode 202 – Who’s Driving the Car? below:
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