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Originally Posted by Honza
I AM may be beyond human conception in some ways but in other ways it simply is not beyond conception because it is a statement that people make every day to communicate their own existence.
If I was to say to you "hello I AM" it would be a statement whereby I was telling you "I exist". What is so beyond conception about that? People use the term "I Am" for two reasons, one to talk about their own self and the other to talk about God - to me that is confusing.
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For me it's simple. When I say, "I am" (meaning that I exist)....the 'I' can be about a personal, egoic 'me' or the 'I' can be about the Real me or the Absolute or whatever I wish to label that which cannot be labeled or named. In conventional communications, my "I am." is in reference to an ego speaking with another ego. I once talked with an "enlightened" sage and, while I went on and on about
: 'I', 'me', 'my', 'mine' and other personal stuff, the sage spoke in totally
IMPERSONAL terms and not once referred to him self with any personal pronouns like: 'I', 'me', 'my', 'mine' ----it was
ERIE!
So, yes, I exist - but which 'I' is being referred to there? I doubt that there are many folks who recognize the many DIFFERENT 'I's that are operating inside of them all through the day. Some have referred to these different 'I's as sub-personalities like: the Critic, the Parent, the Child, the Boss, the Pusher, the Workaholic, the Sexaholic, the Frightened Child, the Sadist, the Coward, the Saint, the Savior, the Martyr, etc. And there is One "self" that is NOT an ego or sub-personality that some call: God, the Absolute, the Source, Christ, etc.
The issue of one's identity is what started the matter of asking Who/what am I? to eventually find one's real identity, beyond or apart from the one they were GIVEN at birth. It's the most basic spiritual question once it's seen that I am not simply the ego, body, mind or any temporary form.
So, who are you?