Who Am I?: The Second Great Question Concerning the Nature of Reality: Volume 2 (Simple Reality Trilogy)

Identity is the experience of oneself in relation to the world. Our identity is our destiny because it determines our behavior. The process of building a survival strategy, the fruitless pursuit of security, sensation, and power, results from “who” we “think” that we are, not the result of who we really are, as we shall see. As Sakyong Rinpoche states so clearly: “Running around trying to alleviate our suffering obscures our true nature—basic goodness—which is clear and unchanging … The wisdom and love beneath the clutter of negativity are natural and permanent.” The only true freedom and the related self-reliance comes from ceasing to identify with the false-self energy centers and putting out the fire of our old conditioning (the craving of security, sensation, and power) by refusing to feed it any longer. In meditation a shift in identity is possible as one becomes the “observer” of one’s experience and stops identifying with the body, mind and emotions. The teachings of all sages emphasize the importance of shifting identities and seeing reality from that new perspective. According to Baba Ram Dass, “The game is not about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody.” This is perhaps the most challenging of the profound teachings of the mystics regarding identity. There is no “me” no “I” no separate identity that we commonly think of as the human personality. True freedom can only be possible when we internalize the truth that we are not an ephemeral human body, mind or emotion-driven animal but we are pure energy, indestructible and existing in the eternal Now beyond the confines of time and space, beyond suffering and anxiety. That is our true identity.

Roy Charles Henry envisioned Simple Reality many years ago when nothing else made sense in his life. He has successfully integrated these principles into his own experience of everyday life and wants to share his joy with any others who care to listen. Although Henry has many degrees, a diverse and rich background, what is most important to him is responding with compassion in every Present Moment. Nothing else matters!!