Spiritual Forums - Is it possible to not have an ego?

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I listened to a podcast some time ago... it was explained that is quite impossible to get rid of the ego... imagine a spiritual guru, with all his wise teachings and enlightenment etc... he won't have the ego of an ordinary man, but his new ego will be one that people follow him, that he is 'the guru'... you can see when a guru has a discomfort when someone i contesting him... that's when you can observe his ego...

in my opinion, ego just changes... kind of a paradox to get rid of it. it's like protecting the core of who you really are and who you want to be.

^^ exactly

As long as ur on earth its not possible.

One can be perceived as enlightened AF

BUT ONLY IN TRUE TESTS THE TRUE CHARACTER IS REVEALED.

Everyone can be enlightened in untested conditions.

Hello,

The way I am getting what "ego" is pointing at is as follows.

There is a perceived view that one may have of oneself.
Created by what has been told and the way the mind has been conditioned to view oneself.
This affects how one may view the world, because the perception of what is happening gets filtered through what is thought to be.
This creates a blurred vision and perspective with in oneself.
The filtering system, I relate to as what may be termed "ego". Meaning one perceives it the way one thinks it to be.

So, through this it may block one from sensing, feeling, and experiencing it just being as it is happening.

Is it wrong or right? To me, no. For it is part of the way I grow and develop.
Recognizing the self made ways of looking at things and widening my view to see other ways as well.

But, there is a twist to this. Some may say that the "self" is just a creation of the individual perceptions and these create an identity of the self. Through working through these perception one may realize there is no self in its essence. Drop the perceptions, drop the "self"identity.

This is not to say the individual does not exist, but now the individual realizes being of it all. The "ego" no longer holds the power and no longer filters out through holding a self identity (self made perceptions) and open to that which is created as it happens and being. Letting it come and go.

A bit long winded here, but it is how I understand the philosophy behind the
"Ego" thing.

In this can see it is not so much about destroying as it about transforming.

Wel, this is my understanding at this time.

Someone in this group may like this...
From "The Direct Means to Eternal Bliss", Michael Langford

'The ego is the idea of a separate, individual identity.
The ego identifies with the body and with thought, and calls the body and thought "I".
The ego is the "I thought". I am happy. I did this.
The ego is the cause of all human sorrow and suffering.''

He goes on and on...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Thank you, that'll do nicely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngnostic

the reason why I ask is because I don't have anything in me that I can identify as an 'ego' which leads me to question: what if I don't have an ego?
Now I know what you might be thinking: I've got blindspots but still have an ego.
But check this: I've been on an introspective spiritual contemplative path of working out my own psychology for the past 14 years. And there have been times, in fact for the majority of that time span, where I was convinced I had an ego and it was blocking me from having fulfilled relationships. I've spent years trying to annihilate my so-called ego and have even gotten to the point where I believed I've succeeded at freeing both my brain's hemispheres of the so-called 'ego' film that leads me to act selfishly or judge the outside phenomena instead of simply witnessing it.
I didn't know where else to go with this question, but as it stands, I currently do not see an 'ego' in me. I've studied neo-advaita which says we have to drop the notion of a personal self or an I and I understood what they were trying to say, that is, I realized my self was an illusion. I've even prior that understood that the word I does not mean self and it felt like my 'I' died. So I've gone through the motions, perhaps excessively to get to the bottom of this ego thing where I did everything I could to make sure I'm not responsible for treating others ****tily and it's not because I have some kind of 'ego' that is my achilles heel. I've gone through the motions of trying to understand self and what I is and realized that after understanding that the 'self' is an illusion that I just have to live and see what unfolds next and what unfolded was the inability to discern a personal 'ego' where I literally walk down the street or have a cigarette and try to think to myself: what is this 'ego' that everyone is talking about and how is it found in me, and realize that I cannot pin point an ego.
Not much is different because we're a product of our environment but I've studied different teachings that all related to the ego and none of them describe me when they describe their epic ego mindsets. I don't fall any category of having an 'ego' based on the various teachings I 've encountered. So please enlighten me on why it's not possible to not have an 'ego' and what characteristics this ego has so that I can tell you if I find them in me...
I know at this point it sounds like I 'm trying to boast and say that I'm some how better than someone else. But that's the whole thing: I'm not. The ego never existed. So if you're like me a couple of years ago trying to understand the personal pronoun "I" or battling some invisible 'ego' try to picture yourself in my position: This imaginary 'ego' never existed.

...Say what?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyotir

...Say what?

LOLOLOLO :laughing11:

"Is it possible to not have an ego?"

Who is asking the question? Is it an ego or some other thing? If it is some other thing, what is it? :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imzadi

"Is it possible to not have an ego?"

The ego is made up many layers. So it is always in you. Without it, you would not be you. But as a practical person, I don't mind the questioning that has gone on through the ages on about this. There is good and bad the ego can choose to do. I'd only ask until the answer is found that satisfies, do good, not bad. In fact doing so may even help provide an answer.