"Popular books on the illusion of self tend to be crass and sensationalist, the academic ones dull and turgid. Jay L. Garfield has successfully followed the less trodden middle way. As a result, the promise of losing yourself in a book has never been more literal."---Julian Baggini, Times Literary Supplement

“Wise, useful, and surprising, this is a remarkable and brave exploration of selflessness and personhood by the brilliant Buddhist scholar and philosopher Jay Garfield. It is a book for our time, when the author opens for the reader the ethical implications of selflessness, and, to quote him, ‘what it means for our understanding of our place in the world.’ A wonderful book.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, Zen Buddhist teacher and author of Being with Dying“Losing Ourselves exemplifies cross-cultural philosophy at its very finest, bringing seminal insights from both Western and Asian thinkers to bear on a single vexed but pressing issue—the nature of the self. In spite of the complexities of the topic and the source texts he adduces, Garfield’s writing is unfailingly accessible and lively. And equally important, Losing Ourselves is a testament to the rewards gained by, and indeed the urgent need for, the pursuit of philosophy in a more cosmopolitan mode.”—Robert Sharf, chair of the Center for Buddhist Studies, University of California, Berkeley“Jay Garfield stages a skillful and imaginative discussion around Buddhist notions of how the self appears and whether it actually exists, bringing together a wide-ranging cast of thinkers from different periods, cultures, and disciplines. This debate is not carried out in the abstract for amusement—the thrust and parry culminate in important conclusions about how viewing ourselves as interdependent persons rather than independent selves is not only more realistic, but crucial for leading an ethical and meaningful life.”—Bhiksuni Thubten Chodron, Buddhist teacher and author of Open Heart, Clear Mind