“Who are you, really?” Or better, at first, to ask the question, “Who you are not?” First, you are not the body. Umm, sounds a little crazy, but let me elaborate. You would not mistake me with what I am wearing today…. You would not mistake me with my shirt or jacket. Well, my body that you see should not be mistaken from who I am. The discovery that you are not the body has far-reaching consequences. You no longer see black or brown or white or yellow people. Instead you see people who wear beautiful coloured shirts. No longer do you see other people of different sex, status, culture, beauty, and religious beliefs. You awaken to the central truth that we are all one in the same. So remember this, our bodies are garments we wear.
The next stage is to come to the realization that we are not the mind either. I know what you are thinking. I have now completely destroyed the concept of who you thought you were. Let me explain. Have you ever listened to the internal chatter of your mind? If not, sit quietly and listen to it now. Yes, some other entity is in the background, constantly chattering. Most of the time you are unaware of the internal noise that you generate. This subconscious being that is observing is truly who you are and is separate from your mind. That is, the observer (you) is different from what is observed and recorded in the mind.
Not convinced yet? Let’s go a little further: You have the ability to conceive an apple, in your mind’s eye so to speak. This idea or concept of an apple is not the thing one eats, the real apple. The concept you have of a pen is not the actual thing that writes. Likewise, the concept of who you are is simply an idea and is not the real you. In psychological terms, the ego is that idea of who you think you are. This is quite a revelation, but how are you able to discover the true “you”?
Discovering that we are not the body or mind, we now can ask the question, “Then, how do I find out who I really am?” To answer the question we need to go below the surface of the mind, beyond the body and our conscious being. And the best way to do this is through meditation. Through mediation we go into the deeper self-awareness and focus within, and discover who we are. Only then can we find our true identity.
