Introduction

Ask yourself: “Who am I?” Only by deeply exploring this question will you find the truth. — Ramana Maharshi

It is mid-afternoon. I am 12  years old, lying on my back on my bed, vaguely looking at the ceiling. My mother suddenly comes in and asks: “Are you sick?” When I say “No,” she says: “Then what are you doing?” My response, without any hesitation: “I am thinking.”

Looking back, I realize it was one of the first times I had begun to think about life in a deeply reflective way. But what exactly is this mysterious thing we call reflective thinking? What does it mean that we can reflect on our lives, our actions, our decisions? And what is the capacity for self-awareness that allows us to be conscious of ourselves as distinct entities, separate from others and our environment? In a sense, this book began when I started to notice that I could reflect. What follows is the culmination of more than fifty years of reflection and thought concerning what being aware of myself as a separate being suggests about who I am and what life is about. Continue reading “Ego, Identity, and Beyond – Introduction” →