Questions of Identity in Uncertain Times

The path of awakening is a path of self-awareness and personal responsibility. As such, this requires first recognizing our habitual, and often unconscious, re-cycling of false narratives and ideas of personal identity.

How do we discern which of the narrative strands that inform our world view and our personal identity are valid, and which not? How do we distinguish those narrative strands that reflect shadows adopted from within or without? How do we empower the positive narrative strands that are a shining expression of intelligent and selfless integrity, and that we might consider expressive of an “awakened” individual?

This questioning of how we construct our ideas of identity provides a starting point to unraveling these different strands and discovering our inner truth and authenticity. We find that we need not be a “victim” of our habitual assumptions, but can become a “master” of deciding and creating who we wish to become.

As we become more attuned to our inner purity, we are empowered as agents for “good.” As we become more confident in our natural integrity we are able to trust ourselves, and as a result learn how and in what manner to trust others. We become able to hold both ourselves and our world with selfless intelligence and without abdicating personal responsibility.

At the invitation of the lamas of Kagyu Sukha Choling, Ashland Oregon, on Feb 7, 2021 I led discussion and meditation on personal narratives and the challenge of discerning authentic identity expressive of clarity and integrity in a challenging world.