The notion of identity is frequently debated in mental health circles. We feel that this is a misplaced emphasis. While designation might be important for functional reasons, underlining its importance for the individual likely creates more distortions than balance. If we were to ask ourselves about what is really important, what would we come up with? Would it be notions like freedom, compassion and commitment or would it be me, mine and myself? That in summary is why we feel that the notion of identity should be done away with.
Early Buddhist psychology states that everything including the self is dependently arisen. This means that what we think is ‘me’ comes about from the arising of causes and conditions. If any of these conditions cease to arise, there would be no ‘me’. Therefore in terms of origin, we really have only conditions that could change and cease at any moment. From this point of view, the emphasis on self-identity is plainly mistaken!
For true joy and compassion to arise, we ought to focus on values or perhaps a value system that gifts freedom from conditioning. And the notion of identity is the veritable fulcrum of conditioning. It is the beginning of a move away from community, from fellowship and from generosity. With a focus on self-identity, we are forever preoccupied with our own needs and wants, on losses and gains and hopes and fears. Not only is this a loss of balance, it is a canvas that presents and reinforces the cues, the triggers and the conditions that keep us forever trapped in a cycle of inadequacy and perpetual seeking.
The abandonment of what keeps us in bondage starts with relinquishing self-identity. This opens us up to exploring values such as freedom, ease, equality and union. It might seem that letting go of our sense of identity threatens our welfare. That is simply not true. In releasing our emphasis on ourselves, we stand the chance of discovering a panorama that is full of novelty and beauty. When such a stance is adopted, there comes a sense of fellowship and wonder that far outstrips the transient happiness that we think we ought to pursue.