Who am I?

[Dojin]

Re: Who am I?

Jundo, i have long ago stopped looking at the words or what is between the words. and all i see or hear is the meaning and point of what you say.

i totally agree with you, although for the life of my i cant explain or say exactly what it is.

Gassho, Daniel.

p.s.

Emptzen i dont know if it matters or not but its something i was searching for, for many years and never found it. and as soon as i stopped looking for it and realized it doesnt matter that i am just me and its ok if i dont know who this ME is... i didnt need it anymore and found the whole notion pointless.
why spend time and energy trying to understand what doesnt not need to be understood... i can better spend my time and energy living as me instead of looking for me...

[Shui_Di]

Re: Who am I?

Hi, ...

If some one asking me the question "Who am I?"

My Answer is....
I don't know.....

Gassho, Mujo

[will]

Re: Who am I?

Who am I?

This.

Gassho

[disastermouse]

Re: Who am I?

Hi,

I would just offer this caution ...

What is it that thinks? What am I? Not conceptually speaking, but existentially, what AM I!?!

This is the most important question, because without knowing what you are, how can you know if your thoughts have any truth?

While you are pursuing your question to find out who you truly are, do not miss the fact that Chogetsu (the fellow who started this thread) is just Chogetsu, Emptyzen (what is your name, as you do not sign your postings?) is just Emptyzen (and each thought of Emptyzen's head just Emptyzen too), and David is 100% precisely David ... without one hair to add or take away from David's head to make him more David.

In a vital way, a search like this is much like an onion's searching for its own "essence" (its "True Onion"!! :lol: ) by pealing away layer upon layer*, only to find as the last leaves are pulled away ... emptyness. In doing so, it may miss its own pungent beauty (I guess that in this fruit stand, we sell vegetables too)

David (like the others) truly wishes to find the True David ... and he may find many faces of David in doing so. He may find that the farthest stars and each single blade of grass is also just David's face, he may find that Chogetsu and Emptyzen and Jundo are just David's face, he may find the empty core of the onion is just David's face ... he may even find that God is David's face ...

... but he had best never forget that David is just David's face.

Is my meaning pretty clear?

Gassho, Jundo

* Chet, thank you for a lovely way of looking at this.

Yes, this onion is the 'true onion'. Worse than assuming there's a 'me' when there isn't one is looking for a 'true me' beyond what is right in front of you. IMHO.

Remember, it ain't called the 'backward step' for nothin'.

I used to tell people that talking about reality is like painting pictures of fruit. It's all well and good, but if you're hungry, pictures won't do you a bit of good. Each moment is real fruit, can you taste it?

Chet

[Taigu]

Re: Who am I?

Thank you Chet. Please, next time you visit my place, do help yourself to the wonderully tasty painted cakes. My place is yours, as you jolly well know it.

Taigu

[disastermouse]

Re: Who am I?

Thank you Chet. Please, next time you visit my place, do help yourself to the wonderully tasty painted cakes. My place is yours, as you jolly well know it.

Taigu

If I come to your place, I will be a good guest and bring cakes for you!

Chet

[Martin]

Re: Who am I?

A wonderful thread. I found Chet's "footnotes" analogy and Jundo's "onion" particularly powerful, thank you. What am I? Like most, I don't know. Perhaps I am "don't know".

Gassho

Martin

[Taigu]

Re: Who am I?

Thank you, Chet.

gassho


Taigu

[Jinho]

Re: Who am I?

The only question that matters. It might be better to ask 'What am I?'.

but now I see that it's just the way things are and what is mindblowing is that we can manage to not notice for so long.

Chet.

Hi Mouse!

I have thought of you often in the past months and wondered where you were. I am so happy you are back at Treeleaf (who am I to talk, I have been away for over a month, but I moved, had the audit at work, was working every week servicing donated sewing machines, helping a bookseller at a science fiction convention, anyway.....

Thank you for your "....manage not to notice for so long....." It reminds me of my situation of so often not noticing the obvious ! And I think I am in sympathy with the question being more "what" than "who". This seems more basic or something.

thank you for your time,
gassho,
rowan

[Jinho]

Re: Who am I?

I've always had the question of 'who am I?', or 'What is it that makes me, me?'

Any thoughts?

Namaste

Greetings!

I am thinking that perhaps, it might be useful to examine one's (psychological?) motivation/drive to have an answer to this question. This not a zen thing, mere one's personal psycholology/insight. But the need for "self" is very strong. Most of my life I have felt like a voice floating around in the air, an animate doll. Suddenly reading this I have this emotion of attachment to having a "sense of self". I am used to having lots of emotions so it is not a problem for me.

Taigu, can I have some painted cakes too????!!!!! (where is that "hopeful" smilie when you need it!)

gassho,
rowan

[Taigu]

Re: Who am I?

Rowan and all,

If you wish to taste my-your painted cakes, study Gabyo of Dogen, a chapter of Shobogenzo, then forget gabyo and study-learn the self, and forget it and...
That simple, really.
Not a baking lesson.

Deep bows


Smiling-tired Taigu

[Mushin]

Re: Who am I?

You are whatever you say you are...and if you say nothing? There is no you.

[disastermouse]

Re: Who am I?

You are whatever you say you are...and if you say nothing? There is no you.

I think you missed the point. You exactly aren't anything you say your are.

[Dojin]

Re: Who am I?

well in the eyes of sociology it goes this way.

you are not who you think you are
nor who others think you are.
but who you think, others think you are.


sounds complicated but it has some sense in it...


Gassho, Daniel (who is not thinking who he is)

[disastermouse]

Re: Who am I?

well in the eyes of sociology it goes this way.

you are not who you think you are
nor who others think you are.
but who you think, others think you are.


sounds complicated but it has some sense in it...


Gassho, Daniel (who is not thinking who he is)

And you're not any of that either.

Really take a look at who 'you' are and see if you find ANYTHING other than footnotes, references, and stories. This is a humble invitation, and I make it because it will erase any confusion we make when we believe these references and stories point to anything at all.

And I don't say this in any way to diminish what you say - as it IS true as far as it goes. I only say, it doesn't really go to the heart of the matter and I suspect the OP was asking in that light.

IMHO, IANAT.

Chet