Philosophers since time immemorial has debated the existence of
"Self".
From earliest ancient times, the Hindus, then the Jews, suggested
that man has a soul, an Atman, a spirit that remains when the body
disintegrate.
Buddhists even, cannot imagine that man is non-existing because
they suggest that karma is brought forward into a future life and
non-existence actualizes only on the attainment of nirvana.
The fact and reality of course is that there is totally no evidence
of Spirit or Re-birth of Self.
If you consider only reality and facts (and you remove beliefs)...
the fact and the evidence shows that "You", the "individual Self"
does not exists.
If you do not think about it and you consider the fact that when
you pinch yourself you feel pain and take that as evidence of a
"self", you of course exist in that sense.
This is the same as saying that the sun moves across the sky
because you see it moving across the sky with your own eyes. In the
same way, you think you exist because when you pinch yourself, you
feel pain.
When you look at the evidence and think about it and study it, the
sun does not move across the sky even though you see it with your
own eyes; just as you do not exist, just because you pinch yourself
and you feel pain.
