Who am I?

Advaita Vedanta reminded us that behind the changing body, thoughts and emotions is the unchanging Witness Awareness—the true Self that silently observes every experience.

Buddhism helped us understand why we usually fail to recognise this Witness. It showed us that what we call “I” is not a permanent entity but a continuously changing process. Thoughts, emotions and reactions arise so quickly that they create the powerful illusion of a solid, permanent self.

Different traditions. One human enquiry. Today we continue that enquiry.

Today, three more wisdom traditions—Yoga-Saankhya, Jainism and Sikhism—help us answer that question.

Everything that changes—our body, senses, thoughts, emotions, memories and personality—belongs to the changing field of experience.

But there is also the one who observes all these changes. Yesterday, Advaita Vedanta called this the Witness. Yoga-Saankhya calls it the Seer, or Purusha.

Different names. The same truth.

The problem begins when the Seer forgets its own nature and starts identifying with whatever it experiences. A thought appears and we say, “I am anxious.” An emotion appears and we say, “I am angry.” Instead of recognising anxiety and anger as passing experiences, we mistake them for our identity.

Yoga tells us that this misidentification is the root of suffering. Freedom begins when we remember a simple truth: I experience my thoughts. I experience my emotions. But I am not limited to either of them. The Seer remains untouched by whatever passes before it.

Has the mirror lost its ability to reflect? No. Its true nature remains exactly the same. It is simply hidden beneath the accumulated dust.

Jainism says our deeper nature is like that mirror. It is never damaged. It is only obscured by years of conditioning, habitual reactions, attachments and fears. Every unconscious reaction adds another thin layer of dust.

Reflection and meditation do not create a new Self. They gradually remove what has accumulated over time. The purpose of inner work, therefore, is not self-improvement. It is self-discovery.

It calls it Haumai. Haumai is the constant feeling of “I, me and mine.” It is the inner voice that keeps comparing, defending, competing and seeking approval. Whenever this contracted self feels threatened, emotions like anger, greed, attachment and pride naturally arise.

The problem is not that these emotions appear. The problem is that we completely identify with them. As awareness deepens, this contraction gradually softens. Our deeper nature begins to express itself more freely.

Different traditions. One human condition. And one possibility—that awareness gradually loosens our identification with the false self.

Once we recognise how deeply we identify with thoughts, emotions and roles, a practical question naturally arises: How do we participate fully in life without becoming trapped by it? The Indian traditions answer this through a powerful value known as Vairagya.

Vairagya is often translated as non-attachment, but it does not mean withdrawing from life or becoming indifferent. It means freedom from compulsive clinging.

You continue to love, but you do not possess. You continue to work sincerely, but you are not emotionally dependent on success alone. You enjoy pleasant experiences without demanding that they last forever. You face difficult experiences without believing they will last forever.

Vairagya allows us to engage fully with life while remaining inwardly free. When a craving arises, you notice it without immediately obeying it. When an unpleasant emotion arises, you allow it to pass without becoming consumed by it. This is not suppression. It is freedom.

Remember this simple principle: Engage fully. Hold lightly. That is Vairagya.

Choose one situation that usually produces a mild emotional reaction. Perhaps traffic. Perhaps a delayed message. Perhaps a difficult conversation. When it happens, practise three simple steps.