The Search for a Sense of Personal Identity: a Buddhist View

An interactive morning with Dominique Side

Moving through the highs and lows of life can challenge our sense of self, and even create an identity crisis, leading us asking ‘who are we in the face of loss and failure?’ Conversely, experiences of success can feel self-affirming, but may leave us fearing that they will not last or simply leave us wanting more. The Buddha found that the underlying cause of so much of our suffering is the immense pain of having lost touch with who we really are.

In this morning teaching, Dominique Side will present some Buddhist insights into our true identity, and show how, by nurturing a deeper understanding of who we really are, we can begin to find the confidence and inner strength to weather life’s ups and downs.

With Dominique’s fresh approach to this topic, this evening will be dynamic and interactive, with opportunities for personal reflection, group dialogue and questions & answers.

About Dominique

Dominique Side encountered Tibetan Buddhism in the mid-1970s in London. She has studied with Sogyal Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in particular, and over the years held a number of leadership roles in Rigpa UK and in Lerab Ling, Rigpa’s retreat centre in southern France.

She has completed several strict retreats and has also obtained a PhD in Madhyamaka philosophy from Bristol University, UK. She taught Buddhism in London schools for eight years and has written textbooks on the subject. She is the author of Buddhism (Philip Allan Updates, 2005), Discovering Buddhism (Troubador, 2022) and A New Way of Seeing (Troubador, 2025).

Under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse she initiated the Milinda training programme for Dharma teachers in 2017, and she also served as vice-president of the European Buddhist Union for five years. As a senior teacher in Rigpa, she specializes in making Buddhist thought and philosophy accessible to all.

Since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, Dominique has been concerned by environmental issues and for 15 years worked professionally as a writer and editor on the interface between environment and economic development.