Greed, hatred, and ignorance – the majority of conflicts in our day-to-day lives are related to these three attributes in us. But instead of finding the root cause of these, we treat the symptoms. Rather than inquiring into the why or how, we simply look at situations on a superficial level. The question we need to ask ourselves is where do they come from?

Let’s look at a dialogue. “I am James Robert,” one says. “I am a professional artist. I have a wife and two children, and I live in New York City,” he says.

Usually, when we ask, “who are you?” we respond in a manner similar to James. We don’t hesitate to state our name, our profession, or our relationships to others. It seems logical that these categories are key indicators of who we are. But a wise fellow would question James:

“You stated your name, profession, family, and residence, but who are you?” the wise observer would ask.

At this point, many of us would simply stand there, dumbfounded. What we have just done is identify ourselves with names and places. But it’s so difficult for us to really say who we are beyond these categories. We limit ourselves by equating the feeling of “I” with things in our everyday experience: “I am so-and-so,” “I am joyous,” “I am depressed.” 

As we know all too well, we can be calm one moment, and furious the next. One day we feel so excited about an idea, but a few days later, it seems so boring that we question how we even considered it. These are such dramatic changes in our states of mind. But, who is it that is aware of these changes, these fluctuations? 

When we realize that we are the experiencer of these events, emotions, and states, the statement “I am” simply dissolves. When we distinguish between the experience, that is, the ever-changing mind, and the experiencer, or who we really are, we create space, and peace within ourselves. Now, when we go back to these same problems, we approach them from the viewpoint not very different from that of an observer watching a movie. 

How does this solve the problem? When greed, “I want this today, and tomorrow I want that,” when hatred, “so-and-so wronged me, they will pay for this!”, and most importantly, when ignorance of who we are, “I am Bob Johnson – yep, that’s me,” arise within us, we know as a living reality that none of these are true. We are the silent, still, peaceful observer, the real “I” that is our true nature, behind the murky veils of our body, personality, and mind. Knowing this frees us, and limitless tranquility and compassion comes as a natural result. All conflicts, no matter how external they may feel to us, can be traced back to this crux, and the one who knows their true nature will have the solution.