Self Identity - Just Who Are You?
What...? Self...identity? We identify with many things, but this is just a process in our minds. In fact, this identification causes us to suffer.
Patriots lose the Super Bowl, and you, being a fan of Tom Brady and the Pats, act as if YOU lost the big game. Your automobile is stolen and you feel as if somebody made off with your cardiovascular system. Or perhaps your closest mate made a bad joke while you were getting knackered at the pub - you don't just feel insulted, you feel as if he just insulted your very existence on the third planet from the sun. Do you have to go through this agony, and how can you get away from it?
No, it isn't, provided you understand what really makes you. Having some clarity in this regard can act as a salve for the inevitable pain caused by identification. Here's a quick meditation exercise.
The Self Identity Meditation Exercise
Find, a nice, comfortable place to meditate. As you close your eyes, take deep breaths and aspirate through your nose. Do not force the issue - breathe naturally all throughout. Allow tension to drain from your body.
Now begin by asking: Where am I? What am I? Who am I? Reflect on the meaning of these questions for a few quality moments.
Be aware of your body. Your leg, perhaps - think of that next. Would your existence be erased from the Third Planet if such appendage was missing? Is your life based on just one appendage? Then continue going through your other body parts and ask "Is this myself", "Am I here" as you go along.
Open your eyes and look around you. Are you those things? Maybe it you feel pain when your favorite chair breaks, as though it were you. But you're not that chair. You are not a computer, television set, bottle of Evian, carton of milk. "Am I a/an (place object name here?)"
Say your full name with your eyes closed. Do you identify with your name? What if you had no name? Reaffirm this by asking yourself "Really now, am I" and say your name again. Answer truthfully. If this one is tough, say "I am..." and insert any other name. Notice how when you call yourself by another name, you feel differently. The identity of your name is part of the reality that you and other people perceive.
As feelings arise, ask "Am I this fear?... this pain, desire, sadness, pleasure, anger? You are NOT your feelings - they are manifestations of your identity, but you are NOT them! The plain white tee you're wearing, your flabby gut or six-pack abs, they are not you, they are not your self-identity.
My yogi suggests this exercise be done for twenty minutes - after which, take a deep breath and get on your feet. Notice if you feel different - less worried or less attached to things, feelings and thoughts. Repeat the meditation exercise as needed whenever you are doubting who you are.
Patriots lose the Super Bowl, and you, being a fan of Tom Brady and the Pats, act as if YOU lost the big game. Your automobile is stolen and you feel as if somebody made off with your cardiovascular system. Or perhaps your closest mate made a bad joke while you were getting knackered at the pub - you don't just feel insulted, you feel as if he just insulted your very existence on the third planet from the sun. Do you have to go through this agony, and how can you get away from it?
No, it isn't, provided you understand what really makes you. Having some clarity in this regard can act as a salve for the inevitable pain caused by identification. Here's a quick meditation exercise.
The Self Identity Meditation Exercise
Find, a nice, comfortable place to meditate. As you close your eyes, take deep breaths and aspirate through your nose. Do not force the issue - breathe naturally all throughout. Allow tension to drain from your body.
Now begin by asking: Where am I? What am I? Who am I? Reflect on the meaning of these questions for a few quality moments.
Be aware of your body. Your leg, perhaps - think of that next. Would your existence be erased from the Third Planet if such appendage was missing? Is your life based on just one appendage? Then continue going through your other body parts and ask "Is this myself", "Am I here" as you go along.
Open your eyes and look around you. Are you those things? Maybe it you feel pain when your favorite chair breaks, as though it were you. But you're not that chair. You are not a computer, television set, bottle of Evian, carton of milk. "Am I a/an (place object name here?)"
Say your full name with your eyes closed. Do you identify with your name? What if you had no name? Reaffirm this by asking yourself "Really now, am I" and say your name again. Answer truthfully. If this one is tough, say "I am..." and insert any other name. Notice how when you call yourself by another name, you feel differently. The identity of your name is part of the reality that you and other people perceive.
As feelings arise, ask "Am I this fear?... this pain, desire, sadness, pleasure, anger? You are NOT your feelings - they are manifestations of your identity, but you are NOT them! The plain white tee you're wearing, your flabby gut or six-pack abs, they are not you, they are not your self-identity.
My yogi suggests this exercise be done for twenty minutes - after which, take a deep breath and get on your feet. Notice if you feel different - less worried or less attached to things, feelings and thoughts. Repeat the meditation exercise as needed whenever you are doubting who you are.