Our true identity

There have been many queries by many on what our true identity is. This often leads to finding a higher purpose and sometimes confusion and chaos, especially when combined with politics and vested interests.

We must therefore see what we truly are to avoid these traps that often make us lesser human beings. This is where spirituality gives us the answers always. Most religions and philosophy have always begun from asking the question of ‘who am I’ or one’s identity. It is important that we stick to the core question trying to investigate our inner self as the external world shall never give us the right answers for this deep philosophical question. This often leads to a lifelong quest that has often led to new paths of life and religions so it should never be taken lightly. For if not understood properly, it could result in us going haywire into the wrong path. For, we do need to understand that we are our inner self connected to the divine. 

Essentially, the question of our "true identity" is one of the deepest and most profound inquiries we can make, touching on philosophy, spirituality, psychology, and even science. The answer depends greatly on the lens through which you view existence. Here are a few perspectives: 

1. Spiritual Perspectives 

• Eastern Traditions (Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, Taoism): Your true identity is the formless, timeless awareness behind all thought and experience—the "Self" (Atman) that is one with the ultimate reality (Brahman, Tao, or Sunyata). You are not the body, mind, or ego, but the pure consciousness witnessing it all. 

• Mystical Traditions (Sufism, Christian Mysticism): The soul is a spark of the Divine, and your true identity is found in union with God or the Infinite. 

2. Psychological & Philosophical Perspectives 

• Modern Psychology (Self-Concept): Identity is a constructed narrative shaped by memories, beliefs, and social conditioning. Some (like in mindfulness or nondual therapy) suggest that recognizing you are not your thoughts or labels can lead to liberation. 

• Existentialism (Sartre, Nietzsche): You have no fixed identity; you create yourself through choices and actions. 

• Neuroscience: The "self" may be an emergent illusion of the brain, a useful construct for survival. 

3. Scientific/Cosmic Perspective 

• You are stardust (literally—the atoms in your body were forged in stars) temporarily organized into a conscious being. From this view, identity is a fleeting arrangement of energy and information in an ever-changing universe. 

4. Direct Experience (Beyond Concepts) 

• Some traditions (like Zen or Dzogchen) point out that the search for a "true self" can itself be a trap. The answer isn’t a thing to find but a realization that what you truly are is the aware space in which all experiences arise and pass. 

A Simple Experiment to Explore This: 

Ask yourself: 

• "Who am I, really?" 

Many discover that the more they inquire, the less they find a fixed identity—only boundless awareness. Awareness is indeed the true answer to all our queries, and we must remember life itself is an endless quest which is why we are called seekers. 

By Jamuna Rangachari