By Monk Raj Rana

“Who am I?” is the question made famous by the Indian Guru Ramana Maharshi and it is indeed a fascinating query that can lead the explorer deep into diverse areas of exploration. If we examine our body we quickly realize that though we have a level of control of its movement, the body breathes on its own, digests food on its own, and basically functions and repairs itself without our conscious thinking. If we examine our beliefs, values, and identity as an individual, these can be changed relatively easily and so what are we truly? Is this something we can even answer?

Since birth we have been in a state of constant learning and programming. What does it mean to be in our family, how do we interact with others especially our parents initially? What do their various cues and signals mean and how do we please them. We are taught what it means to be in our culture, race, religion, and society. In order to stay a part of society we also take on popular beliefs as our own to fundamentally agree with others and stay safe from harm or expulsion. Also, in this modern information age, social media and numerous news sources shape our views of self and others. We create meanings, since we are meaning making creatures, based on what we deem as important events and sources combining this all together to create a sense of self with an identity and values.

We have indeed been filled with beliefs but these are not necessarily the truth. Yet we rarely challenge our beliefs and rarer still do we notice that they are sometimes in conflict with each other resulting in inner turmoil. Could it be that each belief, no matter how negative they are deemed on the surface, may actually have a positive intention? Let’s take the example of someone who believes they are unloveable which is a common identity level belief. One possible positive intention of this could be to keep us safe so that we do not get hurt by being loved and losing it….….something worth investigation as this would explain why we keep even the most negative of beliefs alive.

So much of our effort is spent in maintaining our beliefs and identity and yet they are not us at a core level. They are made up, often shared, thought energies, and as our external influences change, so can these beliefs. So what then is God? Depending on where/when you were born and which religion you may have a specific name. And who are you in relation to God? You may not resonate with the name God and maybe you do. The answers to these questions are so very personal. For me, I sense that we are all part of the fabric of the universe, of creation itself and that the Divine Intelligence functions at all levels within it from the smallest blade of grass to the biggest planets and suns. I ask myself, who am I when I am in deep meditation and in that state I am not aware of my name, sex, race or creed. I just am. Is this my Divine Self? We have been so heavily conditioned from so many different sources that we have no idea how powerful we could potentially be…..

There are so many questions in life and for me, those around our core nature and our relationship to all that is around us can bring a great sense of peace and flow, or not. Creation, preservation, and destruction are all parts of the natural order of things and we are also an element of this no greater or less than anything else. But again, these are my understandings and all are subject to potential change as I examine these questions further. What do you sense is true and does this bring you peace?

Much love,