Is it possible to not have an ego?

[iamthat]

Maybe we need to differentiate between ego as personal identity and Ego as individualised awareness.

Ego as personal identity is only real for those who identify with personality - ie they believe that they are the thoughts and feelings centred around a physical body. We can let go of this personal identity and realise that what we had considered as our identity is simply a set of patterns through which we express ourselves.

This is part of self-enquiry. We search for an "I" and we find that the "I" does not exist.

But individualised consciousness remains. This allows us to function within the body, type on this forum, etc etc. But we are aware that it is simply consciousness acting through a physical body.

Even when consciousness can identify with all that is, individual awareness remains. We know ourselves to be limitless Being, but that still expresses itself through an individual body.

Peace.

Originally Posted by iamthat

Maybe we need to differentiate between ego as personal identity and Ego as individualised awareness.

Ego as personal identity is only real for those who identify with personality - ie they believe that they are the thoughts and feelings centred around a physical body. We can let go of this personal identity and realise that what we had considered as our identity is simply a set of patterns through which we express ourselves.

This is part of self-enquiry. We search for an "I" and we find that the "I" does not exist.

But individualised consciousness remains. This allows us to function within the body, type on this forum, etc etc. But we are aware that it is simply consciousness acting through a physical body.

Even when consciousness can identify with all that is, individual awareness remains. We know ourselves to be limitless Being, but that still expresses itself through an individual body.

Peace.

Well said.

If the ego dies, then so do we. However, if the ego takes over, our spirit also fails.

It takes intelligence and awareness to strike the most productive balance. In fact, I'm tempted to say that's the real test.

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.

You must have an ego or you wouldn't have been able to write your post or do anything on the mundane world.

As a gnostic also, I reckon ego to be a social process. The only way I can see to lose one's ego entirely is to reach your true Selfhood, then rise above that.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by youngnostic

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...

Do you have any personal belief systems, identify with any nationalistic, religious or racial or ideological identity !

Do you find contentment and bliss being in the moment naturally!


Is there a thought process going on in the mind that you are not aware of !

[shivatar]

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.

You could have a decentralized ego. It's always a possibility. It's probable actually.

Let me know what you think after you've read these articles (i didn't read them, just googled them for you. be sure to summarize what you read so I can avoid reading it too lol)

https://meader.org/2016/04/the-decentralized-self/

http://davidya.ca/2008/06/01/the-decentralized-ego/

[shivatar]

Originally Posted by youngnostic

So ego resides in the throat chakra?
I'm simply trying to understand what ego is and how I can identify it in me.
It seems that everyone is running around saying "ego, ego" but no one knows exactly what it is, or has vague understandings of it based on experience and things they heard/read from psychology and spiritual masters.
The problem is, in my current experience, I'm simply unable to pinpoint an ego in me... maybe it's a blind spot on my behalf and I know there would be those who would claim it is, but I'm simply generating a conversation trying to share ideas so we can collectively understand what ego is and if it's possible to not have one. I'm even willing, after a lengthy chat that didn't seem so friendly from those whom I was questioning about the same topic, to put this whole discussion to rest since talks of ego tend to generate negative reactions from others especially when there is someone claiming they don't have one.

The ego is the thing you identify as. It's the easiest thing in the world to identify, it's what you consider to be yourself.

It's not that nobody has a definition. It's that there are many definitions for the same word. Some use ego in the fruedian sense, some use ego in the eastern mysticism sense. Etc. the list goes on.

[Bubbles]

you will know what ego is when you will experience temporarily ego death... but to achieve that, well, i'm not allowed to discuss on this forum.

[youngnostic]

Originally Posted by shivatar

The ego is the thing you identify as. It's the easiest thing in the world to identify, it's what you consider to be yourself.

It's not that nobody has a definition. It's that there are many definitions for the same word. Some use ego in the fruedian sense, some use ego in the eastern mysticism sense. Etc. the list goes on.

I used to think I had an ego and I labled it as "a part of yourself you consider to be unreal/illusive" or a part of yourself that's not really you.

I no longer see myself that way so naturally it seems I don't have an ego.

I identify as Nothingness or Consciousness/Awareness which is nil.
I've been identifying as that before I actually looked within to search for an ego and couldn't find one. It's not that it went away, it's that I never had an ego during this embodiment.

EDIT: and that which I thought was an ego in the past was actually a part of my true self just misconstrued.

EDIT #2: I'm aware that advaita and neo-advaita challenges the notion of self, and that we are everything and nothing, I get all that on a mental level... when I use the word 'self' I mean in a dualistic sense, such as when an 'ego' exists.

[Snow Goose]

The ego has been made into some kind of dirty word with new age thinking, if you read the definition below you may come to realise that there is nothing wrong with what some might call ego. Some might even see it as some kind of psychological protection.

In my view I don't really think it's wise to say you don't have something as you may find your subconscious comes back around and shows you squarely that you do have this 'thing' that you chose not to identify with.

Ego defintion:

a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
"he needed a boost to his ego"
synonyms: self-esteem, self-importance, self-worth, self-respect, self-conceit, self-image, self-confidence; amour propre
PSYCHOANALYSIS
the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.
PHILOSOPHY
(in metaphysics) a conscious thinking subject

Originally Posted by youngnostic

I no longer see myself that way so naturally it seems I don't have an ego.

A blind eye is just a blind eye, nothing more.

Originally Posted by youngnostic

EDIT: and that which I thought was an ego in the past was actually a part of my true self just misconstrued.

Kind of. To keep it as simple as possible, Life gives us the test then gives us the lesson - retrospect is where we can sit down and take a different perspective. You can't evolve if there is nothing to evolve from - that part of yourself you didn't particularly like gave you something to evolve from. Evolving, though, is a process. If that part of you wasn't really you then who was it? And I'm really biting my tongue to not come out with a Billy Connolly joke here. If a part of you sees another part of you as not you, what then? Are you a collection of parts that don't like each other?

Spirituality has a penchant for redefinition and 'ego' has fallen prey to that - perhaps there's something egoic in redefining the ego to fit in with personal beliefs. When you think about it, ego death - which is much-vaunted Spiritually - is egoic in itself.

Spirituality will tell you that your thoughts are as real as you yourself are, so when you have thoughts of an ego doesn't that make it real?

As yourself one question - "What are my reasons for being Spiritual?" Not simply "Why?" but specifically "What are the reasons?" When you find those reasons check them against Snow Goose's list, there you will find your ego. The list of ego definitions is extensive but my favourite is Freud's; it is a sense of I am. "I am Spiritual."