I don’t know Vajrayana, only have some familiarity with the Pali canon. From that perspective, everything that you’re saying sounds true.
> There are also a lot of teachings about the self that are categorically listed as wrong view in the pali canon.
Do you remember what exact things they teach about the self that is in contradiction with the Pali canon? Asking out of curiosity.
One thing that I cannot quite square with the Pali canon is the idea of Buddha mind, and the related concept of the “true self” and the “small” vs. “big ego” that certain Zen lineages talk about. According to the Pali canon, these are all wrong views because of there being no self whatsoever (anattā). Perhaps Zen and Vajrayana folks see these concepts as falsehoods that still help with practice and are thus skillful means (upāya).
> There are also a lot of teachings about the self that are categorically listed as wrong view in the pali canon.
Do you remember what exact things they teach about the self that is in contradiction with the Pali canon? Asking out of curiosity.
One thing that I cannot quite square with the Pali canon is the idea of Buddha mind, and the related concept of the “true self” and the “small” vs. “big ego” that certain Zen lineages talk about. According to the Pali canon, these are all wrong views because of there being no self whatsoever (anattā). Perhaps Zen and Vajrayana folks see these concepts as falsehoods that still help with practice and are thus skillful means (upāya).