I could not agree more with you here, Cleric. It's exactly the self-identification with "something" that is one of the root causes of human egotism and split/dualistic perception of reality that most of us are caught and lost in. I also agree that simply discarding the "I" is not going to solve all our problems, and can even make things worse, if other means of spiritual development are neglected. The Buddhist anatta (no-self) precept is only one component of the Buddhist path, and not even the most important. However, it is still one of the key ones because it addresses and aims to unroot our tendency of self-identification. So, this precept, together with other components of spiritual practice, can do the magic of spiritual transformation and transcending the fragmented, distorted and egoic state of an average human person, if practiced in the right way. Addressing the problem of self-identification is an important component and insight of the Buddhist practice that I find missing in many other spiritual traditions, but of course it is not a magic bullet and can only work in a consort with other components of spiritual practice.If we try to think of 'what we are' we simply return in the ordinary state within the mirrors. The matter is that in this state we no longer need to identify ourselves with anything. ... In the higher state self-consciousness and self-activity are inseparably united, there's no more conflict between 'doing' and 'doer'.
I also agree that neither "noun", nor "verb" representations adequately reflect the reality of consciousness. As I said earlier, no meaning/concept can ever adequately represent the reality simply because the reality itself is not a meaning or a concept. The meanings still help us to function in reality and model it, but the key is to always remember not to confuse the map with the territory.
Well said, I fully agree. I'm glad we found a common ground, Cleric, and thank you for your insightful thoughts, I learnt and gained a lot of insights from your posts.Self-mastery is not achieved by enforcing restrictions on the possibilities for wrong-doing but by rising to ever higher levels of consciousness where the consequences of the possibilities are clearly perceived and one can conduct their life in freedom, in accordance to their highest aspirations.