The fruitional view comes out of a tradition that, for 2500 years, has actively investigated fundamental questions about our basic human experiencing. Buddhism, like other great wisdom traditions, is incredibly complex, with many differing theories and approaches within it. Basic to all Buddhist views though, is an assertion that our sense of being an independently existing – and therefore alienated- self is the central source of unnecessary suffering and confusion.
Common to most Buddhist schools is the idea that we are only living in the present moment. The past profoundly shapes what arises in this moment, and how we engage in this moment profoundly influences what arises in the future. But our experiencing is only found in each present moment. And in this view, our experience of our current reality is seen as having a more powerful impact on our state of mind than what we are experiencing, important as that may be.
By training ourselves to bring first our attention and then our awareness to immediate embodied experiencing, we can most accurately and productively discover for ourselves what is most true. As we become able to consciously participate in increasingly deep, moment-by-moment experiencing, we may find less and less evidence of a continuing significant “self”. The varieties of techniques we use for this investigation are collectively known as meditation. For those interested in a deeper understanding of this tradition, there are not many good books and resources available.