A scene in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, just before the climax, where arch-enemy Gideon is taunting protagonist Scott about motive:

Gideon: Scott Pilgrim! Hey, buddy!
Scott: Save it! You're pretentious. This club sucks. I've got beef. Let's do it.
Gideon: Wa-wa-wait! You wanna fight me ... for her?
Scott: No. I wanna fight you for me.

Then, like a video game voice-over, the narrator announces, "Scott earned the Power of Self-Respect!" as the hero pulls a physically-impossible cartoonish flaming sword out of his chest and the battle begins.

Doesn't sound like zen — but maybe it is? Self-sacrifice begins with Self, a nobility on center-stage display, a look-at-how-great-I-am act for The Others to admire. Scott tried that, in an earlier encounter, and failed. If self goes away and all are one ... — perhaps the self in self-respect can transcend.

And the same throughout the smaller encounters in life. After a family argument, trouble at work, a relationship breakdown, instead of forgiving or apologizing for The Others, maybe the atonement is for ...

(cf. Unselfing (2009-01-14), Clinging Is Optional (2013-08-21), 0-1 (2014-08-29), No-Self and the Space of Wonder (2014-10-20), No-Self (2014-12-25), Self and No-Self (2015-03-11), ...) - ^z - 2015-10-08