what are you?

[buddhistfist]

I have been thinking about this.....what do you cosider yourselves?Do you consider yourselves martial artists?Do you think of yourself as a Taoist?A shaolin man?A taiji man?Or should one not consider himself anything?Should one think of himself as anything?

[prana]

A Being in samsara (cycle of birth and death) to be lucky to be a human in this life.
Sorry, I know you probably arent looking for this answer.

[Xebsball]

I'm a man with the head about to blow up from never ending questions with no answer so far.

-------------------------
"You will never need to feel weak, helpless, indecisive, not fascinating or ashamed of your genital dimensions. GOOD-BYE Humiliation. Bullies, Karate Experts, Boxing Champions, traffic wardens will melt to pulp as you master every situation."
Master Deltoo
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Stadium/2477/

[Repulsive Monkey]

in transit, until I realise the truth.

[shaolinboxer]

I am.

[origenx]

I am a figment of our imagination...

[Nexus]

Who are you?

- Nexwho?

[TjD]

i'm not

:)

Receive what comes, Escort what leaves, and if there is an opening, rush in

[Pointy]

I am he who was me when he was there with that guy who thought he was me but in fact wasn't.

"Pain is only natures way of telling you're in terrible agony"

[Pointy]

I'm totally baffled by my existence. I try to be me but sometimes even that is beyond my abilities.


I should get some sleep...
This post has no sane reason to exist.
If there is a god he's propably sighing wearily and rolling his eyes right about now...

I better stop. I can smell the lightning bolt coming my way...

"Pain is only natures way of telling you're in terrible agony"

[Cody]

I am the rock that was worn down by the sea, only to attain consciousness again in the instant that I am become water and slam against a rock.

a thought for the present time,

Cody

[buddhistfist]

you misunderstand my question,my fault,should have worded it better.Since one should stop all thoughts, does one think of himself as anything,for example if he does taoist meditation does he consider himself a taoist or is this low level since he should not consider himself anything?Sorry,its difficult to come across clearly.

[Cody]

because there is so much pressure to give a name to what you are. It mixes social factors with esoteric ones. Sometimes what you say to yourself and to others is not the same because it is easier that way. This can eventually yield confusion when considering what you are and what you are becoming.

"I am in the process of becoming whatever I am." That is my definition of myself in general. Specifically, I'm not a this or that. But, I think and perceive and act in certain ways.

In clearing the mind, clarity of self is identifiable. I don't believe that stopping all thoughts (a natural process) means that one's identity is also stopped, though it can feel that way at times. It means that you are what you are and you don't have to think about it. What results from these times and how it carries into your worldly contacts can be used to define who you are in a realistically practical sense.

If the question goes further into "what" I am (in human form, derived from what?), that is something else, which I don't even try to answer. But, I don't think that's where you're headed here. You're hearing the wheels spinning. Sorry for the squeaks.

While certain labels indicate proficiency, others are more a statement of what one is in heart, without any particular degree of function to be expected. If one does taoist meditation and believes in this way, than to call one's self a taoist, regardless of level of knowledge, is reasonable. To think that you need to have "arrived" in order to claim kinship to a "way" sounds unfounded to me.

Embracing one belief and defining yourself in terms of it will frame the way of thinking, and is a limitation, though possibly one aspired to. You are what you practice and believe in, in terms of it becoming part of you, regardless of whether you ponder it. I think to much concentration along those lines might be constricting and hinder progress towards the unfolding of self.

Cody

[Nexus]

Excellent answer Cody. You are what you do, and not all that you know of that you do.

The concept that you have of yourself as once said by Scott R. Brown is not all that you are, and in many cases not even the truth.

It is fair to say that you are what you do, and you are welcome to call yourself, a juggler if you juggle, a soccer player if you play soccer, a martial artist if you do martial arts. Others will refer to you as that, and if you intention is not to describe to others who you are but rather how you practice who you are than it is fine.

You can also be empty, and in that emptyness be filled with all things. In certainty, beyond this life, that will be the case.

One thing to consider though is that by using terms such as 'I am a martial artist', 'I am a pianist' you also limit the perception of yourself to others. If you tell me that you are a martial artist, I will take my concept of what defines a martial artist and apply it to you. Someone else might think that means someone who is addicted to watching Bruce Lee Movies and attends Tae Kwon Do once a week. Others might think a pianist is someone who knows how to play a piano, whereas someone who has piano experience might imagine it to someone who has a much more than just that. Often said, that names are symbols that symbolize a meaning that is often not directly related to the name of the symbol itself.

- Nexus

[Cody]

I enjoyed reading what you had to say. It put me at ease and raised other questions that are interesting.

The thoughts of concept of self as being not all that one is, of possibly not being the truth.

The first means to me that complete knowledge of what I am is not within my ability to realize. I see being and becoming, incompletely.
I think the concept of self has a stability to it at its core which allows for the blank spot(s), the unknown. That is how I see things now. How the concept of self reacts to affirmation or negative outside reaction is interesting. It might not change at all. That challenge, whether it results in giving in to complacency or losing faith in a concept of self, might cause a weakening of the structure. Not sure. I might ask, would the structure have changed if a tendency had not been there to begin with? I am thinking that there is something pretty definite inside, upon which character/personality are based. At first I thought it was character. Now, I begin to think that character is not what I refer to, but that character is a reflection of it. I am also assuming here that the concept of self is based on the reality of the self as it is.

The second. Well, concept of self can be based on what one would wish to be rather than what one is. That can come from a lack of confidence in what one really is, being unwilling to explore what is, wanting a more illustrious self, etc. I think that is sad. It can be based on what one is told one is and is to be by parents or other authority figures. It is based on internalization of outside influences, rather than facing the self with gentleness and open eyes.

Your last paragraph reflects a state of the world. People want to be able to identify others easily. Basically, which herd are you from? Hence, it is prudent to choose one's words carefully. To say one is a taoist means that taoism is believed in and practiced. No advanced degree of understanding is implied. Yet, to say you are a pianist or martial artist does imply that you have a minimal ability to perform. You might feel that your path is to become a proficient musician or martial artist, but until such time as that is the case, it is better imo to say you are studying music or martial arts. No further explanation is necessary unless asked for, and then level of achievement or how you are expressing your interest can be explained.
I learned that I can't be responsible for other people's understanding of what I mean because I can't be responsible for how what I say is interpreted past a certain degree. With that said, I find it best to supply as neutral an answer as possible to avoid a false impression.

Cody