'Sense of self' and 'Identification with the mind'

[OnceMore]

I've recently started to read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and I'm a little confused on a passage from the book.

“One of the main tasks of the mind is to fight or remove that emotional pain, which is one of the reasons for its incessant activity, but all it can ever achieve is to cover it up temporarily. In fact, the harder the mind struggles to get rid of the pain, the greater the pain.The mind can never find the solution, nor can it afford to allow you to find the solution, because it is itself an intrinsic part of the ‘problem’. 
You will not be free of that pain until you cease to derive your sense of self from identification with the mind, which is to say from ego. The mind is then toppled from its place of power and Being reveals itself as your true nature.” [italics mine]

Ok, so if I shouldn’t derive my ‘sense of self’ with identification from my mind, how should I derive my ‘sense of self’? What is even a ‘sense of self’ if I can’t use my mind to identify it? Doesn't my mind come up with the 'sense of self' in the first place? If I do have a ‘sense of self’, how would I know if it’s from my ego or not? If I’m not actually in thought or if I’m not in identification with my mind, will my ‘sense of self’ even exist? 

This was sort of a brain dump of questions that I had whilst reading this passage.

Anybody have some opinions on this?

[jse]

Mind cannot identify or classify true Self, anymore than your hands or feet ever could.  Mind presupposes  that it is a lasting separate self, but this is a powerful dualist delusion.  The non-existent "self" or ego, cannot possibly ever get out of self.

[YaNanNallari]

True self is what's left behind the idea of self. Not identifying with your thoughts could mean seeing them as random occurances. Or if you are the whole universe, or just even this planet, then you can see how your thoughts don't have to be taken personally. When it comes to fighting thoughts they're negative only if you see them as negative.

Right now, or never actually, it's no good trying to create a different sense of self. It will come to you when it is time.

[snowleopard]

Somewhat of a synchronicity, before reading this post, I just finished watching a video on the Kashmir Shaivism take on individuality vs segregated egoity, and it may well be relevant to the inquiry. Take a look if so inclined ... Universal Egoity & the Fivefold Nature of Oneness

[cirkussmile]

Good.

Keep questioning this "I". Who are you? Don't stop until you find it. 

You know when you are there when you don't have any more questions.

Until then always question every answer you get and lead the direction back to you. "Who am I?"