Kim O'Hara wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:33 amI think this is the best answer so far.Johnny Dangerous wrote: ↑Thu Aug 26, 2021 7:00 pmBy examining, by seeing how it really is, and not making an attempt to make it look different for other people, or to make yourself feel better.
"Being oneself" usually just means being authentic, which has to do with inner and outer honesty - honesty with others about how it is with us, unflinching honesty with ourselves.
As PeterC said, "How can one be anything other than oneself?" Using that as a starting point, just observe what you are doing and after a while you can say, "That's who I am."
Don't stick labels on yourself to try to define yourself (not until you're really sure they fit, anyway), and especially don't try to live up (or down) to labels that other people put on you.
Kim
How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?
Re: How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?
Ty Kim, very enlightening points you made
In his writing, Hokkemongu (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra), The Great Master Nichiren said, “If the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra wholeheartedly devote their life to the Lotus Sutra and practice according to its golden words, it is certainly needless to say that not only in the next life, but also in this lifetime they will overcome severe difficulty, prolong their life, receive the great, good fortune of unsurpassed enlightenment, and accomplish the great vow of the widespread, propagation of True Buddhism.”
Re: How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?
Phenomena is how we perceive John Doe and Noumena is how John Doe really is. Phenomena is the relative John Doe and Noumena is the absolute John Doe. Only Buddhas and votaries of the Lotus Sutra can perfectly perceive the relative and absolute reality of things, including we ourselves.