Who am I NOT?

[ShiningLight]

Just wanted to share a viewpoint I had that has helped to clarify some questions I had while trying to answer the question, "Who am I?" Basically, this question forces you to see the answer from a certain perspective and mindset.

If you will, rephrase the question as "Who am I NOT?" and you will notice that your perspective shifts. With this new shift, it has helped me to see things in a different "light."

Hope this helps out whoever is searching.

Your comments/thoughts are appreciated (<--yeah, we know what this means )

[Yukio]

Thoughts , weird this seems to make sense ...

[Shamou]

ShiningLight!

Interesting point of view... however I find that it is a little like trying to find you car keys by looking everywhere except where you think that they could be...

There are illimited things that we are not... and just so many that we are or could be... so, I am certain that it would work... but could be time consuming...

Glad that it has worked for you though...

.

[absvan]

Well lets try this way.==>

You are not what you think you are. So now find out what you think you are.

You are what remains.....

Edit: Have you read the book "I am that". It will solve the answer to your question

[Maguru]

How else would we know anything if we did not know the 'is not'? This doesn't refer to the physical self so much as the spiritual self. The question of 'who am I' refers to 'who am I being'? Quite often we are NOT being who we think we are!
There may be many 'am nots' to cross off the list before the prize of 'I am' appears. Great question, Shining light. I believe you deserve your nick-name.

[Uplift]

That style of meditation and examination does lead to a shift in focus, and an awareness of the you that starts, stops, changes, and experiences thoughts. And that you are there, unchanged throughout the whole process of life. It does become apparent that if you are able to control thought and experience, then you are just that, the controller, not the thought or experience. It is a good way to meditate, as it leads to constant focus on the real you, and the change in perspective Shining light highlighted. Ramana's story is a good one regarding that meditation. I found it hard for a long time, but it eventually helped me a lot, and led to meditations and a direction that I am really happy with.

[Yukio]

Am I wrong? Or there is some phylosophic or method to eliminate the improvable things first ... If you take into account everything , 'The last' stand should be correct!

"We are the brothers of Rocks and Sons of the Stars" ... Diamonds are "forever".

[ShiningLight]

Thanks all for your feedback. I feel welcomed.

Shamou: I have not reflected much about the "real world" practical applications of this form of thinking. However, my initial impression about your scenario: I would imagine that thinking about where your keys "are NOT" would actually lead you to find them quicker. How many times have you lost your keys and "frantically" tried to search for them "everywhere?" - even where they may not logically be? Like inside a cereal box? (don't ask me why I chose that example) Instead by focusing, and thus eliminating the possibilities of where they "may not be," you are narrowing your actual search time. Make sense? Thanks for that insight by the way, I will actually try to implement this method into my everyday situations.

Absvan: Thanks for the book suggestion, I will look into it.

Maguru: I have a sense that we are thinking along the same path. Yes, my question was meant to be taken from a more philosophical or spiritual frame of reference. Yet, thanks to Shamou, I now believe it to have practical applications in the "real world."

Uplift: Believe it not, I have not read, or trained in any form of "technical" meditation. I just think a lot - sometimes too much, really I have a sense that we are thinking along the same lines also. Here's something for you to ponder: If you are in fact the controller, and have the ability to start, stop, and change your experiences as you say, would you not be able to conclude that you ARE in fact your experiences? In other words, if my thought produces the experience, is not the experience who I am?

Yukio: I'm not exactly sure I follow your last post. But here's a thought, when you are trying to "prove" something, you are in fact only perpetuating your own "lies" about that something. I know this may be hard to follow, perhaps I'll attempt to explain in another thread.

Thanks guys, keep the thoughts flowing!

*Man, I use too many smilies.*

[Uplift]

Originally Posted by ShiningLight

Uplift: Believe it not, I have not read, or trained in any form of "technical" meditation. I just think a lot - sometimes too much, really I have a sense that we are thinking along the same lines also. Here's something for you to ponder: If you are in fact the controller, and have the ability to start, stop, and change your experiences as you say, would you not be able to conclude that you ARE in fact your experiences? In other words, if my thought produces the experience, is not the experience who I am?

Meditation is just focus. I believe you. Just like in anything, some people get it straight away, some take longer, some might never get it. I took a fair while. In answer to your question, my particular experience and understanding is that we are before, not needing the human experience, but capable of having the human experience. So yes I believe we are the experience of us, but that doesn't have to include humaness. Beyond human ideas of experience makes sense to me. Having said that, there is plenty that doesn't. I don't mind though, once a couple of hundred lbs was like an immovable object to me, now its part of my warmup, eight foot waves were life and death monsters, now they are fun. I just keep at focusing. So I've set my own path if you like. Some people would mind, like the Buddha's, Ramana's and the like. Some just get it anyway, Sai Baba, Jesus and the Girls from Medjagorie...the Greg Kovaks and Laird Hamilton's of the Spiritual world...people who inspire with the example of possibilities.

[Uplift]

This is what Laird Hamilton contributed to surfing and the exploration of limits. Awesome!

[Maguru]

Could our physical experiences be a reflection of our true self?
Take the experience of the lost keys. The experience could be perceived as an opportunity rather than judged as a problem. Using the power of the mind to deduct 'where they are not' is creative thinking.
So this reflection is someone with calm, mature thoughts. Whereas someone who frantically looks everywhere is a nitwit. Only joking, but does it make sense to anyone?

[Liara Covert]

You need to learn about everything. Whatever experiences, people or events come our way are what we need to progress.

You may find it interesting to read Agatha Christie's "Destination Unknown."

[ShiningLight]

Uplift, 3 things I like about you. 1) You set your own path, I sorta see myself as a "trailblazer" as well. 2) Your line, "people who inspire with the example of possibilities." That is awesome! and inspiring in and of itself. And 3) You surf! Tried it once myself, would like to take another crack at it.

Maguru, yes I believe our physical experiences are indeed a reflection of our true self. I like how you can see the lost keys as an "opportunity" rather a "problem." It's amazing what a shift in perception can do. Yes, it makes sense.

Liara Covert, do you believe you can learn everything? Yes, you can learn ABOUT everything, but can you truly LEARN EVERYTHING? At least in one lifetime? I think there is a difference in those two questions. I believe your statement, "Whatever experiences, people or events come our way are what we need to progress." Thanks for the book suggestion!

[XeutonMojukai]

I've always thought that both sides of any shift in perspective were necessary to truly understand oneself.

I know, for example, that I'm not an average person.

I also know, for example, that I *am* the most extreme and intense person I know.

Thus, both things would seem to have the same truth, but they don't.

One tells me that I'm not the same, simply. The other tells me just how different I am compared to all the people I've ever known (which is significant).

Thus, I can tell that I am very intense and extreme as a person, but there are probably others who are moreso and who I don't know about.

~ David

[ShiningLight]

XeutonMojukai, I agree with you, in order to know who you are, you need to know who you are not.

Let me see if I can try to explain why knowing who you are NOT is important to knowing who you are. The reason why is because it gives you a frame of reference or point of view to KNOW who you are. For example, lets take a personality trait such as "I am funny." Ok, now imagine if you will, that you live in isolation, by yourself, alone. In this situation, how then would you be able to know that "you are funny?" Well, you wouldn't - not without knowing FIRST what it is to "NOT be funny." Make sense?

Now try this on for size: How can you know what it is to "NOT be funny" if you are alone, by yourself with no one to compare yourself to? Hrrrmm, you can't - UNLESS you have OTHER people around you who "are NOT funny." So where am I going with this? Well, if you can follow my thinking, then you can see that other people are merely a reflection of "who YOU are." They are there to show you who "you are NOT" and therefore can make sense of "who you are."

What are the bigger implications of this? Well, you begin to realize other people are important. They are there for a reason. They are just like you - in fact, dare I say: Yes, they ARE you!

I'll save the rest for later.

Hope that helps, or am I just causing more confusion? Oh well, confusion is a good thing (depending on how you look at it)

[ShiningLight]

On a lighter note, It just dawned on me how this thread can be related to this commerciall: YouTube - Most Interesting Man on Careers

Didn't know a beer commercial could be so enlightening. lol

Moral of this thread? --> Drink Dos Equis

[Billy]

Simple, list the things about yourself that strike a chord within your being, then you will know what you are not.