...just thought i would express some thoughts on the subject.
what is ego?
in short, everything i perceive my self to be, everything i am not. my self-image or persona. who i 'think' i am. more specifically, the feeling of 'i am this' or 'i am that.' is it necessary? why is it here? how does it arise? i notice that when a thought arises, i can either see it for what it is
(if i am present enough,) or i can identify is as 'my' thought and from there the feeling of 'me' is derived. the thought creates the thinker. then there is this other side to the ego, the more real side that arises from any sense of personal doer-ship.
for example last night as i was finishing writing some very 'spiritual' and impersonal things i asked a friend to tell me what they thought and immediately the feeling of pride came over me. it was then i realized that ego was operating in full effect, regardless of the words written. 'look how smart i am' is what it was saying. the feeling of inadequacy followed with a twist of contempt for ego. then i realized that this took place naturally and almost without any control on my part, so i felt compassion and forgiveness for myself as i let all go.
also i think most of the feelings we have are natural reactions to life in general. but only through ego and its attachment to them do we feel good or bad as they are perceived. otherwise they are just flowing forms of energy. my solution to this, if i had to have one, is to love ego. love it unconditionally and understand that it is here for a purpose and it will dissolve when its function is finished. it's not about getting rid of ego altogether, it is very much a part of human nature. i feel it is more about recognizing and acknowledging all aspects of ourselves for what they are. through love and compassion ego can recede naturally. if we resist and reject it, it will keep coming back for more, until we learn the lesson it has to teach.
what is ego?
in short, everything i perceive my self to be, everything i am not. my self-image or persona. who i 'think' i am. more specifically, the feeling of 'i am this' or 'i am that.' is it necessary? why is it here? how does it arise? i notice that when a thought arises, i can either see it for what it is
(if i am present enough,) or i can identify is as 'my' thought and from there the feeling of 'me' is derived. the thought creates the thinker. then there is this other side to the ego, the more real side that arises from any sense of personal doer-ship.
for example last night as i was finishing writing some very 'spiritual' and impersonal things i asked a friend to tell me what they thought and immediately the feeling of pride came over me. it was then i realized that ego was operating in full effect, regardless of the words written. 'look how smart i am' is what it was saying. the feeling of inadequacy followed with a twist of contempt for ego. then i realized that this took place naturally and almost without any control on my part, so i felt compassion and forgiveness for myself as i let all go.
also i think most of the feelings we have are natural reactions to life in general. but only through ego and its attachment to them do we feel good or bad as they are perceived. otherwise they are just flowing forms of energy. my solution to this, if i had to have one, is to love ego. love it unconditionally and understand that it is here for a purpose and it will dissolve when its function is finished. it's not about getting rid of ego altogether, it is very much a part of human nature. i feel it is more about recognizing and acknowledging all aspects of ourselves for what they are. through love and compassion ego can recede naturally. if we resist and reject it, it will keep coming back for more, until we learn the lesson it has to teach.
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California
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Re: EGO
Fri, March 21, 2008 - 8:54 PMagreed, ego is part of being human as long as we embrace it positively and do not live solely and operate solely in the ego then there is no problem, for you to feel pride in something that you have accomplished is positive ego.....to think you are better than others is negative ego......operate in the positive ego and all will be as it should be.
Kisses
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Re: EGO
Sat, March 22, 2008 - 5:17 PMI think that's the healthiest approach to ego-transcendence I've ever heard of. Attempting to get rid of the ego completely can be a horribly dangerous and unhealthy path as every person I have ever met required their ego in order to function and simply could not be separated from it for long periods of time. To instead acknowledge the presence, roles, and limitations of ego and seek to look beyond them without attempting to get rid of the ego itself sounds both healthier and more realistic.
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Re: EGO
Sun, March 23, 2008 - 1:14 AMthank you. a couple of things came to mind after i read your responses.
first, i don't know if we should even judge ego as 'negative' or 'positive' ego. because ultimately we are judging ourselves.
secondly, who says ego is to be transcended? how will i know when i have transcended? and who transcends?
it's almost too easy to form an idea of what ego is and then try to transcend it. in any case the ego is still very much there if we are to transcend anything, otherwise 'who' transcends 'what'?
what is real never changes and anything gained will be lost.
if some state of ego transcendence were to be experienced, i could not possibly do it by personal volition. it would have to take place naturally and intuitively. without 'me' taking any part in it.
a quote i read a while back depicts what i'm aiming at pretty eloquently.
"illumination exists. YOU will never be illuminated." or something along those lines. call it what you will.... self-knowledge, enlightenment, self-realization.... you get the point.
as far as my experience goes, resistance only leads to feeling bad, and allowance leads to feeling good. i'm not saying egolessness is the point here, because for this to be reached there must me someone who reaches it. and guess who? all i'm trying to convey is that there is no point in resisting what IS. only through acceptance, allowance and a willingness to flow with life will we lead a happy and joyful existence.
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Re: EGO
Sun, March 23, 2008 - 10:39 PMI approach the issue of ego necessarily from my background as a psychologist so I have a very firm definition of what the ego is and is not. Neither negative nor positive in itself it is simply functional and the ego is that voice in your head that is "Me." It is the you that seeks balance between the primal impulses (Id) and the internalized demands of our culture (Super Ego). It is also the "I" that is separate from "You." In moments where one transcends the ego one no longer acknowledges "I" as being separate from "You" and no longer feels the Id and Superego as conflicting forces. I stop being me and start simply being. Its beautiful and a good place to return to regularly, but one doesn't get much done floating around in the cosmic one-ness and a body may even forget to feed itself. So, ego keeps us separate and functioning but it is useful to move beyond it occasionally and keep in mind that ego is not all there can be nor necessarily all you are. It is possible to consciously transcend ego but in order to do so an individual must be willing to, for a period of time, release their individuality and relinquish the sense of individual identity: to stop being "Me" and simply be that which is. There is often the fear that "I" will never come back, but somehow it always does. I don't ever feel it as a rejection of ego though, merely taking a time-out from it. Taking a break from being me, the individual, as a separate entity.
But that's just me
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Re: EGO
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 2:15 PMI suppose that depends upon how one defines it. or me: definitively yes. I possess a strong sense of individual identity. -
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Re: EGO
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 5:50 PM'is there ego?'
is there anything? for that matter.
things only become things when we make them so.
nothing exists by itself in and of its own.
everything we experience is an object perceived in consciousness.
even the sense of 'me' or ego.
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