Who Are You VS. Who You Are Not

We were talking in class tonight about who your real Self might be. If you are not your body, and you are not your mind/thoughts and you are not your emotions, then who are you? 

Osho telling a Sufi story:
“A young man seeking truth finds an old man beneath a tree. The young man knew that he had to leave on a pilgrimage—but to where? Seeing the old man, he thought, ‘He must know the road.’ So he asked. The old man instructed, ‘Follow this road till you come to a tree’ – he described the tree in detail, leaves, fruit, everything – ‘and you will find an old man like me but 30 years older. He will be your guide.’

The traveller was happy. He thanked the man and rushed on. For 30 years, he wandered but the tree and old man never came. He was tired, and older himself. Finally, he decided, ‘It is better to go home. God knows when the guide meets me, what guidance it will be!’ He turned back. He passed the same old tree and was shocked! It was the same man, only 30 years older. The young man said, ‘My god! Why did you waste my 30 years?’

The older man said, ‘Did I waste your 30 years, or did you waste mine? Then you were not ripe enough to be guided. You didn’t look at the tree, though I described it in detail. I described your guide. You were in a hurry that you did not look at me carefully. So it is me who has been actually waiting for you knowing one day you will come.'”

You are the old man. Not the you that is still answering the "who are you" question with body, mind and emotion answers. The old man is the you that represents your "atman" or true Self.  He waits patiently for you to come to him when you are ready and capable of learning these ideas.  The body, mind and emotion are all temporary and changeable, therefore, how can you grasp onto any of them and say that is who you are?