The Buddha described what we call “self” as a collection of aggregates –
elements of mind and body – that function interdependently, creating the
appearance of woman or man. We then identify with that image or appearance,
taking it to be “I” or “mine,” imagining it to have some inherent
self-existence. For example, we get up in the morning, look in the mirror,
recognize the reflection, and think, “Yes, that’s me again.” We then add all
kinds of concepts to this sense of self: I’m a woman or man, I’m a certain
age, I’m a happy or unhappy person – the list goes on and on.
When we examine our experience, though, we see that there is not some core
being to whom experience refers; rather it is simply “empty phenomena
rolling on.” It is “empty” in the sense that there is no one behind the
arising and changing phenomena to whom they happen. A rainbow is a good
example of this. We go outside after a rainstorm and feel that moment of
delight if a rainbow appears in the sky. Mostly, we simply enjoy the sight
without investigating the real nature of what is happening. But when we look
more deeply, it becomes clear that there is no “thing” called “rainbow”
apart from the particular conditions of air and moisture and light.
Each one of us is like that rainbow — an appearance, a magical display,
arising out of our various elements of mind and body.
– Joseph Goldstein, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Vol. VI, #3>