202 - Who's Driving the Car?

Secular Buddhism

Noah Rasheta

Spirituality, Buddhism, Mindfulness, Society & Culture, Meditation, Secular, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of the Secular Buddhism podcast, Noah explores the Buddhist teaching of no-self through the powerful metaphor of a car ride. Who—or what—is really in control as we navigate our lives? Drawing from the five aggregates and the Internal Family Systems model, Noah illustrates how our emotions and mental patterns often take the wheel, shaping our actions and experiences. But through mindful awareness, we can begin to notice these “drivers,” understand their intentions, and gently shift how we respond. This episode invites listeners to reflect on their inner world with curiosity, compassion, and clarity, offering practical tools for cultivating emotional awareness and inner freedom.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to another episode of the Secular Buddhism podcast. This is episode
0:14.5	number 202. I am your host, Noah Rusjeda. And today I want to talk about a concept that's been on my mind
0:22.5	lately, the idea of who's really in control of our thoughts, words, and actions, and how this
0:29.8	relates to the Buddhist concept or teaching of no self. As always, keep in mind that you don't
0:36.6	need to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a
0:38.9	Buddhist. You can use what you learn to be a better whatever you already are. Buddhist teachings and
0:45.1	concepts challenge us to think differently about life. They challenge us to question the stories
0:52.0	that we've come to believe about ourselves and about reality.
0:56.3	And today's topic does that for me.
0:59.2	So imagine your mind as a car.
1:02.5	Picture yourself as if you were driving, but you're not alone in this car.
1:06.2	The car is full of passengers, all of your emotions, reactions, habitual patterns.
1:13.1	And there's anger in the back seat.
1:15.0	There's joy riding shotgun.
1:17.2	There's shame crammed back into the back left corner.
1:22.2	And there's hesitation, occasionally leaning over to mess with the steering wheel, not sure how tightly to grip it.
1:31.9	Sometimes without even realizing it, one of these passengers actually jumps into the driver's seat and starts to take control.
1:39.8	Suddenly, anger's driving the car, speeding down the highway, honking at everyone in sight.
1:45.1	Or maybe fear grabs the wheel, slams on the brakes, and immediately swerves to the shoulder, refusing to move forward.
1:53.1	This isn't just a metaphor.
1:55.2	I think this is a powerful way to understand what's actually happening inside us,
2:00.4	and it relates directly to one of Buddhism's
	...

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