What is the EGO?

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by NoOne

Ego is the illusion that separates us from Source.

That's IT! Perfect, exactly!

Not many get it's an illusion!!

[God-Like]

The thought of you is known to be associated with ego ..

The thought of you can be known to be separate or not from what you are ..

The thought of you can be associated to falsities and truth, what is real or unreal ..

Now what you are beyond the thought of 'you' doesn't have a thought about ego, or separation or what is unreal ..

Where confusion reigns is for a thought of you to be associated with no ego or no self ..


x daz x

[enaid]

Instead of trying to figure out all that the ego is composed of, I’ll just offer that the ego is that which is not conscious of it’s connection to the source of all things and therefore experiences want, lack and drives.

[Dan_SF]

@Op, the ego is nothing more than a thought (which you/we choose to think because we do not know of the alternatives) .

It Probably started with Adam and was given to the next generations, because of the nature of thoughts.
(p.s. i'm talking of what happened, and i'm not blaming !)

Here is a simple calculation:

If God created perfection then everything that shows you imperfection is based on the Ego thought.


The basis of this thought is:

"What i took from you, i have gained and you have lost" - it is a beginning of the Material world and its thinking.

[zastrakoza]

I was recently exposed to some new ideas about ego that have me evaluating my motives differently. The idea is that the ego is the will to receive, and is the nature of all created beings. I like this description and find it useful for re-orienting my judging nature.

As the nature of the creature, we can not "disappear it". It exists as an essential part of our experience, and my meditations on this concept have created an intense appreciation for the human ego. It creates space for me to perceive the inseparable complement of wholeness, and to choose to be the giver or the receiver as appropriate. This idea is hard to express in words, but I read somewhere that it is impossible to honor oneself. That is, there must be a complement for the experience of it. It is the same with the concept of love. In other words, the human ego allows us to experience the divine nature.

I apologize for my great disservice to this worthy concepts, but I wanted to share these ideas with you and maybe someone with more wisdom and experience can develop them further for us.

Thank you for this great discussion!

[Uday_Advaita]

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

Can you tell me what the Ego is?

Is it, "I" - What I want - What I need - Power -Greed - is this what it is -

If we live through "source" - "divine" are we, Ego? Those that consider the "Ego" bad, are they constantly fighting themselves? Or does it mean something else entirely?

I just read that someone see's "Self Love" as Ego. What does that mean?

Is Ego things you want, and strive for? Is that so bad, to want?

Please enlighten me.

I always thought to be humble, with no attachments,no labels, and an openness to all walks of life is not egocentric.

I guess I don't really know. I have seen other people's "egos' that I found to be negative when they projected them onto another. I saw Ego as "negative" - I've not seen ego in any other way than that, up until now.

For instance, when I walk into a crystal shop, I don't let the Ego intervene, I don't choose a rock based on the colors I like, shape, size, or what someone else's experiences have been, ect ect - I do my best to let go, and know that the right stone at the given time will pick me.


What are the other forms of Ego?

Thank You

What is an EGO?
In one single line it can be stated as:

IT IS YOUR SENSE OF PERSONAL DOER-SHIP

The more you get convinced that you are not the doer of actions happening through your Mind-Body Apparatus, but it is the SOURCE which makes it happen....

The more you get convinced that you are NOT living your life, but it is being lived through you.....

The more you get convinced that the "OTHERS" too are in the same boat and they are not the doer of actions Happening or NOT Happening through their respective Mind-Body Apparatuses ........ FINALLY

YOU WILL STOP BLAMING YOURSELF OR OTHERS FOR WHAT YOU DID or DID NOT DO,OR WHAT THEY DID OR DID NOT DO. SIMILARLY YOU WILL STOP TAKING CREDIT OR PRIDE YOURSELF FOR ACTIONS THAT HAPPENED THROUGH YOUR (MBA) NOR YOU WILL GIVE CREDIT TO SOME-OTHER FOR BEING FANTASTIC.....

You will have realised that every action or non-action happening through any one any where in the phenomenal universe is exactly as it should be and is an integral part of (but not separate from) the TOTALITY of the functioning of the manifest reality around you.

You will notice that your EGO - Sense of personal doer-ship will have dropped off.
Namaskar

[zastrakoza]

In this case, it seems you believe that we create egos ourselves.

Are we born with egos?

Does everyone create egos? Purposefully or not? When?

Are there those who never create an ego?

[zastrakoza]

@Enaid. This is well said and so clear! And does not use the word illusion.

The word illusion is complicated and does not carry a common understanding. Many in this forum excepted, most people think very concretely. Therefore the word illusion is a trigger word. I don't know for sure what others mean by this word.

It seems we all experience want, lack, and drives. Do you think those experiences will ever disappear? Is there a distinction between want, lack, and drives AND desires?

[MikeS80]

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

Can you tell me what the Ego is?

The ego is the I, the me, the thinker that interacts with his/her thoughts by thinking this or that is good/bad or positive/negative and I love/hate or like/dislike this or that. Thoughts are nothing more then Memory of your past (all the beliefs, fears, everything you think is good/bad or positive/negative, what you love/hate and all that you like and dislike, and all the knowledge and etc etc you accumulated and learned in the past). The present moment, the right here and now triggers your memories to help you overcome them, and evolve so you are fully conscious/aware of the present moment, the right here and now in the present moment, in the right here and now.

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

Is it, "I" - What I want - What I need - Power -Greed - is this what it is -

It is not greed, it is the organism/animal/life wanting to survive. Wanting to survive is a natural instinct/programming/conditioning.

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

If we live through "source" - "divine" are we, Ego? Those that consider the "Ego" bad, are they constantly fighting themselves? Or does it mean something else entirely?

It is not ego if the ego is balanced/integrated/ is in harmony and is one with the divine/our creator/consciousness.

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

I just read that someone see's "Self Love" as Ego. What does that mean?

Only the person who said that will know the answer to that question.

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

Is Ego things you want, and strive for? Is that so bad, to want?

no, wanting is not bad/negative or good/positive because wanting is just an effect of evolution and just is/just exists.

[MikeS80]

Originally Posted by Green.Heals

Can you tell me what the Ego is?

Is it, "I" - What I want - What I need - Power -Greed - is this what it is -

If we live through "source" - "divine" are we, Ego? Those that consider the "Ego" bad, are they constantly fighting themselves? Or does it mean something else entirely?

I just read that someone see's "Self Love" as Ego. What does that mean?

Is Ego things you want, and strive for? Is that so bad, to want?

Please enlighten me.

I always thought to be humble, with no attachments,no labels, and an openness to all walks of life is not egocentric.

I guess I don't really know. I have seen other people's "egos' that I found to be negative when they projected them onto another. I saw Ego as "negative" - I've not seen ego in any other way than that, up until now.

For instance, when I walk into a crystal shop, I don't let the Ego intervene, I don't choose a rock based on the colors I like, shape, size, or what someone else's experiences have been, ect ect - I do my best to let go, and know that the right stone at the given time will pick me.


What are the other forms of Ego?

Thank You

Wants and desires are not a problem or obstacle themselves. Wants and desires only become a problem or obstacle when you are attached to or you are dependent on the want or desire. Attachment and dependency to a want or desire causes greed, fear, sorrow and etc etc, not the want/wanting or desire/desiring itself.