⁴Arguably, the Buddha’s viewpoint could also be interpreted as the self being what can be controlled instead of what controls. Nevertheless, according to Mahasi (1996, p. 12–14), what the Buddha is denying is precisely a “controlling self” as well as an “active agent self”. The two viewpoints are in a sense unified when Harvey (2009, p. 49) proposes that according to Theravadan Buddhist thinking, “a Self would have total control over itself.” In any case, this makes little difference in what follows where the main point is a general lack of control, or uncontrollability.