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Show Notes
Over Identification of self
Topic is a main understanding of Yoga: recognizing the difference between true self (purusa) and everything else (nature or prakriti).
The confusion of these two components is what leads to suffering and understanding the difference of the two is the ultimate goal of yoga in order to reach Samadhi or enlightenment
So how do you identify yourself:
Gender
Age
marital status
family
nationality
financial status
social status
power
accomplishments
successes
failures
health
sickness
All of these are outward indicators that give us some type of feedback that others can label and or identify us.
The question that is very important is do these indicators bring us closer to our own understanding, do they bring us peace and do they keep us in sustainable joy over the long haul (a life time)?
These components are not bad objectively, it is the over identification with them that leads to suffering. We become a slave to our labels.
eg. a person who is ill can choose to be identified with their disease or not.
eg. athletes often identify with their sport and being a competitor only, how do they transition when they no longer play or compete?
So what is purusa: Judeo/Christian it’s the soul in yogic terms (purusa) has three qualities
1. it is all knowing (omniscient)
2. it is eternal, unaffected by time
3. it is divine, it is unafraid and patient.
This means that someone else can not truly tell you who you are. It’s like the Matrix says, even the matrix cannot tell you who you are!!
You need to connect with this source and then you make your decisions and life choices based on purusa’s selections.
Purusa cannot exist with prakriti: meaning the soul needs the body to drive around in, but Purusa should be in the drivers seat.
This creates a greater openness in an individual. you hopefully make choices that support Purusua.
Where things get more difficult, is when you confuse the two and you think that an outward identifier is your truth —> suffering. You also want to make sure that the choices you make are supporting your truth. Prakriti will always want to make choices that passify it’s symptoms, these are not always in alignment with purusa and this is why it’s difficult.
What is required is a strong level of discernment: in order to distinguish between the two ?