Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected FreedomBut there are clear signs that show that, past a certainpoint, it is not okay. Look at what happened when Englandlost their last match. The ugly behaviour by so-calledsupporters is not okay. What does our practice tell us abouttraining attention to see beyond the kind of identity thatcontributes to such unfortunate delusion?Who Am I?We could begin our investigation by acknowledging theimportance of the issue. Racial wars, class wars and religiouswars offer ample material for reflection. Acknowledging therelevance of perceived identity to what we do supportsmindfulness around the actual bodily feeling of being a‘somebody’. We start to notice, as it is happening, the senseof solid ‘I’-ness being born; we notice when and in whatconditions we get this feeling.We can also observe the experience of lacking selfdefinition.How does it feel when you first wake up in themorning after having been up late? We can learn a lot in thebrief period after waking, when a sense of personal identityhasn’t yet properly established itself. Sometimes we can’tremember where we are. Next time this occurs, try not torush past the experience. Observe how we reach out forfamiliar perceptions. Don’t hurry to open your eyes. Juststay with the sense of wanting to find security; of notknowing where or who you are. When you do open youreyes, how does it feel to recognise ‘my room’ or ‘my things’?Observe the sense of solidification as it occurs. This can bean effective way to begin undoing the way we grasp at ourlimited identities.Using such exercises we develop an understanding ofhow the perceptions of ‘my body’ and ‘my thoughts’ arise.142