Understanding Who You Are Not

At the moment of your conception, your body was simply one cell, and that cell began to divide. From there you became a fetus, then you developed into a baby and were born. You progressed through the years as a toddler, a young child, a teenager, an adult, and eventually into middle age, and then old. These progressions are evidence that you have never experienced being in just one body for any long period of time. At any moment, your body's composition is constantly changing. With every breath you take, trillions of atoms and particles are brought into your system, and with every breath you exhale, trillions of atoms are expelled.

When you understand this constantly changing process, it becomes clear that you are not your body. Your body has never been a constant that you were able to possess completely for any length of time - yet you identify with your body as being "you." When you look in the mirror and believe your body is attractive, you feel good about yourself. If someone makes a critical comment about your appearance, you feel embarrassed or depressed. You continually look for ways to stimulate your senses to feel pleasure, such as eating something delicious, smelling something particularly aromatic, listening to relaxing music. The sensations you enjoy by seeking out these pleasures are wonderful at first, but before long you need another sensation, so your feeling of satisfaction is simply one temporary good feeling after another, not a constant sense of peace and pleasure.

Because you have an internal belief that your eternal abode should be one of bliss, you constantly try to experience bliss through bodily pleasures. But attempting to achieve bliss through your body is a total misunderstanding of how to help your real self achieve bliss. If you are sick, depressed, angry, or emotionally distraught, you cannot enjoy life or feel pleasure. But when you fall asleep, and are no longer distracted or preoccupied with trying to achieve a state of bliss, you will find that your discomfort and pain are totally gone. You may even dream about eating something delicious, going on a fabulous vacation, falling in love, or enjoying something extremely pleasurable, without care or stress. This example clearly shows that you think of yourself as actually being your body only when your mind is attached to it. When your mind is detached from your body, while you are sleeping, your mind is free to achieve a state of bliss.

So you are not your body. By the same token, you are not your mind or your emotions. This concept is even easier to understand, because your mind and your emotions are constantly changing. One minute you can be thinking about a task you have to do at work, and the next moment you may think about what to have for dinner. Even when you are meditating and trying to focus on one single point of thought, another thought comes creeping in, distracting your meditation and changing your focus. Try as you might, your mind is not you, and you cannot achieve true bliss simply through your mind.

Your emotions are also constantly changing. One minute you may be feeling happy and at peace with the world, and then you hear a sad story on the news or read a disturbing article in the paper, and your emotions change rapidly to negative ones rather than positive ones. So clearly, your emotions are not you either.

If your body, your mind, and your emotions are constantly changing and therefore are not the real you, then who are you? You are the inner consciousness that is able to witness your body, your mind, and your emotions as they change. Recognizing that your real self is separate from your body, mind, and emotions is overwhelmingly freeing - you are not limited by your sensory perceptions, your inner thoughts, your feelings, or your emotions. You are infinitely aware of all around you as well as all within you. The more you can identify yourself with separating your inner Witness from all that surrounds you, the freer you will be and the more power you will have to take control of your body, your mind, and your emotions. As a result, you will be able to act, rather than react. This power allows the freedom to be totally at peace, with your real self experiencing infinite, blissful peace for eternity. For thousands of years, meditationers have focused on understanding that they are not their body, their mind, or their emotions, and doing this type of meditation brings truth, consciousness, and bliss. No particular pose or breathing patter is required - this meditation can be done at any time. Fill your mind with these concepts instead of worrying about outward problems, egotistical desires, or past regrets. Try this meditation, realize who you really are, and live happily in bliss.