How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?

bcol01
Posts: 365
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:20 pm

Re: How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?

Post by bcol01 »

Ty Kim, very enlightening points you made
Kim O'Hara wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:33 am
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 7:00 pm
bcol01 wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 5:57 pm How do you be yourself if you aren't sure who you are?
By 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.
I think this is the best answer so far.
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.

:namaste:
Kim
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.”
illarraza
Posts: 1257
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 4:30 am

Re: How does one be him or herself if they aren't sure who they are?

Post by illarraza »

bcol01 wrote: Thu Aug 26, 2021 5:57 pm How do you be yourself if you aren't sure who you 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.
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