Short story: A great Sufi master tells us not to worry about trying to find ourselves. Find the truth instead, is his message here.

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The great Sufi Master, Araband Sum Khanga, was giving a discourse to a band of his students on the oft-asked question, "Who am I?" "We will start with our assessing of what you are not," he said to them. "You have a body, but you are not this body. You just occupy it for a time." "You have a mind, but you are not this mind either. It is a tool for you to use here, and for you to connect to God with." "You are not even your heart. That belongs to God, and it's where he is existing in you too." "Then, what are you?" he again asked his assembled students. "Some people will say that you are your thoughts, and so we should choose our thoughts carefully, as they will make you who you are. This is only partly true, though, and only true, if you identify fully with these thoughts." "We are not our thoughts, either then. They are superficial, running on the surface of our ocean, but we actually go much deeper than that." "Well," he continued, "If you drop your attachment to all of those parts of you that you are not, you will move closer to who you really are then too, or will you?" "The thing is, though, you never do need to know who you are." "There is never any need to try to find this part of yourself, because if you begin this search, for sure, you are beginning it from your mind. It is a distraction to you, and to the true living of your life, then." "Now, here is something that a great Saint, from another Religion, once said." "This quote is from Saint Theresa of Avila, the Spanish Catholic saint, who lived in the sixteenth century." "If you can realize who you are, it means that you know where you are coming from, and where you are going too." "Is she right here, or not, though?" "Well, in truth, rightness is not the issue, here at all." "The truth of you is the truth of God, so know truth, and yourself will take care of itself." "My talk has ended." "Think carefully on what I have said here." "Do not look for yourself, look for truth instead." The same religion that that Saint comes from also agrees with this, as this quote from their Holy book says too." "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." That's from their Bible, from the New Testament book of John, chapter 8, verse 32. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com Finding the self is never as important as finding the truth. In other words, then, you find your true self, in the truth. You find yourself, in the truth!