what is ego my thougts

[Emmalevine]

Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see much difference between JenHearther's views and those of Psychoslice. To me, they are the same thing expressed differently. Jen is saying the ego needs acceptance to become whole, Slice is saying the ego is an illusion, drop all conditioning etc and you will realise who you really are. I understand the dispute between Jen saying the ego exists and needs to be accepted whereas Slice argues against its existance, but really they're two sides of the same coin where letting go of what you believe the ego to be, illusion or otherwise, awakens you to the totality of self.

Or maybe I'm misunderstanding fundamental points but I actually agree with you both in many ways.

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

My perception of the ego:

Eat that piece of triple chocolate cake.

How dare he say that to me.

You can do that tomorrow, just relax and watch some TV.

A chocolate monster!!

[fire]

Interesting perspectives.

Feeling intrigued to throw in my own, I see ego as one of two points of awareness. The first point would be spirit, as one's true god self beyond all of creation, whereas ego is then an extention of this awareness projected into the soul construct.

I see them both existing within the same being, where the god self is the core of the being, and the ego is then the extention of awarenes trapped within the soul construct (particularly within the mind placement).

So as the point of awareness trapped within the soul construct, the ego is our perception of self within this creation, which experiences separation and suffering due to being distanced and isolated from the core by the system placements within the soul construct.

The oxford english dictionary says that ego is the sense of self...and that's enough for me.

With this simple definition, I agree with Starbuck's observation of the similarities of slice and jen's similarity in belief. Yes, I believe the ego is an illusion, but I accept that I experience that illusion.

It seems more clear because in meditation I have gone into a conciousness in which there is no sense of self. In that state I don't feel my physical form, and I don't experience thoughts, or any sense of being a seperate thing. When I'm in that state, there is nothing, just being.

But as I change state, I become aware of my self as a person again. It's those alterations in conciousness that, for me, make the acceptance of an all encompassing energy (just being) as well as the acceptance of the ego, and its illusional quality, possible.

But these things are written and read about...and people apply their personal perception to create what they interpret the words/theories/concepts to mean.

With how I interpret ego according to my experiences, it is quite impossible for anyone to live independently without a 'sense of self'.

There is a difference Between the ego and the false ego. You must have an ego to exist here or else you would not know your self from another. a false ego miss identifies itself with memories. a healthy ego simply knows I am here. This is a teaching of the ancient yoga Sutras of patanjali. Ego is one of the four functions of the mind I will link an article here it is a pretty heavy read. I deeply recommend it.
http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm

[Squatchit]

Originally Posted by Meadows

The oxford english dictionary says that ego is the sense of self...and that's enough for me.

That's what I was thinking this mornworm. To find the common definition, use the dictionary.

Otherwise, if we all use our own personal interpretations of ego, we'll be like the Tower of Babel. A bit of a nonsense when all said & done.

And as Guru has brought forth, there always seems to be a true/false anything. True love, false love, true Truth, false truth, true reality, false reality, true illusion, false illusion and on & on it goes.

It's all a bit of nark lark.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Bluegreen

A chocolate monster!!

A lazy, chocolate monster that gets hurt feelings.


That's quite a link, Ms. Devotee. :)

[TruthJunkie]

A fun read for sure. I further understand the saying "the older I get the less I know". Alas symbols are never the territory so as we approximate at great length the identification of a particular circumstance or pattern of being it remains an observation accorded definition from the point of reference called the human condition. Can ego adequately define ego?

Pass the Twinkies I need a fix ... LOL

[CrystalSong]

Originally Posted by Bluegreen

Ah,we're back to discussing the ego. Can anyone describe their perception of what the ego is when they talk about the ego?

According to Freud, the ego is part of personality that mediates the demands of the id, the superego and reality.

According to Jung: The ego is the center of consciousness, whereas the Self is the center of the total personality, which includes consciousness, the unconscious, and the ego.

According to Erikson: Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction.
Therefore it changes over time.

According to Theosophy: ... the ego is that which says "I am I" — indirect or reflected consciousness, consciousness reflected back upon itself as it were, and thus recognizing its own mayavi existence as a "separate" entity. On this fact is based the one genuine "heresy" that occultism recognizes: the heresy of separateness.

According to Masonry: That Ego, the ultimate Divine Principle in man, is represented by the triangular flap of the Masonic Apron. The triangle (or pyramid form) is the geometrical symbol for Spirit or Fire, and the ultimate Spirit of man may be likened to a pointed flame or tongue of fire . http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masoni.../the_apron.htm

According to Rosicrucians: The Ego ... is the threefold Spirit, the God Within, which uses these vehicles to gather experience in the school of life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucian_Fellowship

According to Hinduism: The ego is not the same as the mind or consciousness - it is, instead, the perceptual center of mind and consciousness. For the question, who or what is it that has mind and consciousness here, the ego is the answer. http://atheism.about.com/library/glo.../bldef_ego.htm

According to Buddhism: The Buddhist ego is a collection of mental events classified into five categories, called skandhas, loosely translated as bundles, or heaps. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/intro_bud.htm

According to Islam: The thinking, feeling and acting self that is conscious of itself and aware of its distinction from the selves of others and from the objects of its thought and other operations. http://submission.org/Ego_Quran_perspective.html

Wow. Had I thought of it for just a moment, I would have known that there would be so many definitions through so many cultural perspectives. Thanks for sharing these, it filled in a little puzzle piece somehow, even if I can't articulate which one where in the large Puzzle Mystery.

For now, based on current journeying, a personal definition of ego would be:

1: That which still has fear and tries to respond to perceived threats with judgment, reaction or bio chemical releases. In this way it is a pain in the tush, tho I do appreciate it trying to do it's job to keep the body safe and alive, just wish it could tamper down trying to turn things into an emotional reaction.

2: Ego is that with which having a human experience wouldn't be possible, without it I'm pure energy/spirit.

3: Ego is necessary for the Earth/3D classroom and provides the experiences through which Spirit can learn.

4: I am part ego for this experience at least and it seems inescapable except for the time in meditation. (even there sometimes it tries to interrupt and make the experience about its self somehow) However I'm also grateful, for the care and feeding of the body it tends to the rest of the time, and its perception of the 5 senses. Ego can luxuriate in the taste of chocolate, spirit can't apparently. The ego is the Matrix, without it the steak is just digital bits of information.

5: Only in extreme heights of Consciousness, over whelming times of Unconditional Love for all that IS, and in Bliss states does ego appear to be temporarily transcended.

6: At best I've struck a truce with the egoaic part of myself - when asked, it will sit quietly in the corner and not interrupt with thoughts/dialog when I work in the other realms, and it will allow the pure Observer aspect and the spirit to manifest as the operating forces in the body at the time.

7: It's an uneasy truce, ego constantly tries to undermine the truce.

8: Ego believes it is the entirety of the Self, even when it's been proved otherwise by the interaction of Spirit, it just can't live with not being the entire self - it fights in the most subtle of ways to regain acknowledgment of being all important to the Being.

9: Love, patience and forgiveness seem to help ego to feel secure enough to temporarily allow the other aspects of self to work uninterrupted for limited time periods.

If anyone has figured out to transcend ego permanently please share with me. This current agreement/truce is like herding cats!

on second thought, maybe not...I do like steak and chocolate!

[Squatchit]

Originally Posted by CrystalSong

If anyone has figured out to transcend ego permanently please share with me.

Get in a car, drive at 100mph into a brick wall.

Done. Ego transcended.