What is Ego?

[Guest guest]

What is Ego?

 

It looks like the discussion on Ego apparently drifting into somewhat

confusion. What is Ego and does it exist in the present etc. are the

questions that are pertinent to have clear understanding. Some of the

confusion is inherent in the problem itself, since we are trying to define

something that is really elusive, yet experienced intensely.

 

Shankara defines Ego in the vivekachuuDamani along with the mind, intellect as:

 

nigadyatentahkaraNam manodhiiH

ahamkR^iti chittam iti swavR^ittibhiH

manastu sankalpa vikalpa naadhibhiH

budhiH padaartha vyavassaya dharmataH

atraambhimaana aham iti ahamkritiH

swaarthaanu sandhaana guNena chittam||

 

It is part of antah karaNa - inner equipment - or subtler instrument. The

subtle instrument (thoughts) is divided into four based on the individual

functions. manas - or mind - it is the doubting texture of the thoughts -

should I or should I not - indecisive mind - of course also the center of

all emotions etc.

The buddhi - intellect is deciding factor, discriminating factor - and also

a factor that is locus for knowledge - this object is rope that is snake

etc. - a player or best baseball player etc. - padaartha vyavasaaya

dharmata - essentially knowledge of the padaartha - objective world.

Having defined mind and intellect, then he defines the Ego saying - atra

abhimaana 'aham iti' is the ahankaara. abhimaana involves several aspects

- First things it involves is ownership of that as 'that is mine'- Since it

is not a simple abhimaana there is 'aham iti' notion as well. That what I

possess as an object wise is now identified as ' I am that object' - aham

iti - I am this. 'this' relates the abhimaana to the one that I am trying

to own and having claimed ownership I further claim that what I owned is

what I am.

 

Here there are two aspects - atra - 'here' referring to the thoughts

belonging to the mind and intellect - possessiveness and ownership of the

possessed. For me to own something, that something should be there -

incomplete thoght I cannot own. That has to be completed for me to own that

thought as this is my thought. Then it becomes part of my possession.

Hence thought becomes part of the past when I own it or possess it. What

is possessed is related to the what was thought - belongs to the past and

that past possessed (memory) is pointed out as 'iti' this. Next is the

identity - aham iti - I am this - Hence this part is identified with the

memory of the past up to the last fraction of the second - and

identification as I am which is obviously as Shree Charles Wikner points

out, is the present activity. Essentially it boils down to current

identification with the past is the ego. The fact in the precise present

there is nothing other than myself - But when I donot know myself as

myself, I identify myself as this - this constituting the past history up

to the last second. If by chance I lost connection to the memory by

accident, for example, then I donot know who I am other than identifying

with the immediate objects around such as the body etc. In fact this

happened to a friend of mine and whole his family was devastated for few

years until he slowly regained his memory.

 

Hence what is ego - two aspects involved - I and mine -I am this and this

is mine - abhimaana includes the mamakaara with those I can directly

identify as my self, but also with those I possess but not directly

identifiable as I am this but now identified as this is mine. I am the body

is one aspect of ahankara and this is my body is the another aspect of the

ahankaar - both are abhimaanas. Identification is the present action what

is identified with regard to the memory that is related to past. Hence Ego

has a double edge - Hence its locus is still "I" which is eternally present

but contents of the ego is past.

 

Does the ego exists in the present - "this" content of identification is

related to past - that part is not there. I am part is the identifier - it

is ever present. It exists in the present as identification of the past.

In the statement I am a baseball player, I am - is the present, I am a

baseball player is the activity that I associate myself in relation to the

past up to the last fraction of the second. When I am playing, I am not

identifying, right at instant of play, that I am playing - the mind is

preoccupied with the play. If I am making the statement I am playing -

that is incorrect statement since right at the moment when the statement is

being made I am busy making the statement and obviously not playing.

 

Yes, work can only be done in the present and enjoyment can only done in

the present. But when the work is going on or enjoyment is going on -

there is no 'I am this' thought. When 'I am this' thought comes - that

'this' is already pushed to the past. In fact in the present there is

neither time nor ego. Hence Krishna's declaration related to who performs

the action or who enjoys the action. JK brings this aspect out

beautifully when he askes if any one wonder at the beaty of the nature -

without any possession without any I thought and mine thoght - just wonder

as it is without name calling. There the ego is not there and one is one

with the universe as I am.

 

I hope it is now less confusing, at least in my mind!

 

By the by, Shree Swami Atmanandaji is discussing "tatvabhodha text" and he

will be discussing at that time about the ahankaara or Ego when the

definition comes. Hopefully that will clarify some of the confusion.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

K. Sadananda

Code 6323

Naval Research Laboratory

Washington D.C. 20375

Voice (202)767-2117

Fax:(202)767-2623

[Guest guest]

The mater is further complicated by the use of the word ego in psychology to

mean the functioning focus for Consciousness, a function or aspect of mind.

This may give the feeling "I am here" in the body, in this city, etc. and "I

am this one with these thoughts and not those, with this biography and not

that, with these feelings but not those." This focus develops in the first

18 months of life. Without it we are mentally ill. While we need to learn

the truth about the self, we do not want to get rid of this "ego."

 

I have had students who suffered some trauma in their first years who work

hard (and happily successfully) with therapists to complete the formation of

their damaged ego. When they meet some spiritual people who talk a great

deal about destroying the ego, it is very confusing to them.

 

It is important for us to be clear that the function is not the problem. To

blame the function, the psychologist's ego, would be like a color-blind

person blaming his eyes for the absence of red and green in the world. Even

as we experience the world very much as a separate person, we need to be

clear that this is the result of how the instruments (mind and senses) work

and not exclusive proof of some larger truth.

 

Aikya Param

P.O. Box 4193

Berkeley, CA 94704-0193

Advaita Vedanta for Today (graphics)

http://members.tripod.com/aikya/

Advaita Vedanta for Today (text version)

http://members.xoom.com/aikya/aikya

 

 

 

Ram Chandran <chandran

Advaitin List <advaitin >

Friday, November 06, 1998 6:10 AM

Re: What is Ego?

 

>Ram Chandran <chandran

>

>sadananda <sada writes:

>> What is Ego?

>

>> It looks like the discussion on Ego apparently drifting into somewhat

>> confusion. What is Ego and does it exist in the present etc. are the

>> questions that are pertinent to have clear understanding. Some of the

>

>> confusion is inherent in the problem itself, since we are trying to

>define

>> something that is really elusive, yet experienced intensely. .........

>

>I agree with Sadaji that the confusion is inherent in the problem

>itself. Ego or ahamkAra is the identification of oneself with the

>external body, external action, external pleasure and pain. The only

>identification that is enjoined is with the Inner Self, the Atman. All

>other identifications are certain to lead us to confusion and miseries.

>Intellectual enquiry starts with the question - "Who am I?" The answer

>to this question comes from detachments from everything that is not

>"I." The attachments to the external body, external action and external

>perception are transient. According to Gita, detachment can be achieved

>if we live our life with the Yagna spirit - "Life is a bridge, enjoy

>while crossing, don't build a castle." When we attain this mental

>attitude in dealing with our life, we become the witnesses rather than

>actors and we perform Yagnas rather than actions.

>

>Bhagavad Gita suggests that we undertake Sadhanas to change our mental

>attitude. According to Karma Yoga, we perform our actions without

>looking for the fruits. This statement requires additional

>clarifications: First, action is continuous and we can't separate the

>action and the result. The evolution of the Ego comes from the

>truncation of an action and confusion prevails from the separation of

>action and result. Ego introduces the time-dimension and creates the

>notions - past, present and future. This may explain the reasons behind

>the declaration - Vedas (knowledge/ Truth) have no beginning and there

>will be no ending! Does an act of kindness require any reward? Is it

>not true that the act of kindness is itself the reward?! Karma Yoga is

>the strategy to develop the positive mental attitude to deal with any

>adverse situations.

>

>One of the effective ways to detach the AhamkAra attitude is through

>dAsya Bhakti which dwells on the magnificence of the Ishwara and which

>expresses itself through humility and service of others as the children

>of God. Mother Teresa demonstrated that Ego can be destroyed through

>service to the Lord by conducting service to the children of the Lord.

>The Bhakti Yoga in Bhagavad Gita describes the virtues of performing

>actions with this Yagna spirit. In Sivananda Lahari , a poem of 100

>verses written by Sankara, he says in verse five:

>" Day in and day out I roam about in vain in search of wealth and food

>for this little belly of mine. O, Lord, I know not how to serve you. But

>fortunately, by iota of merit in my past births, You are still in my

>heart as in everyone's and therefore, O Lord of Beings, You should

>protect me."

>In all slackest and in the entire Hindu literature of prayer, the appeal

>is for the descent of the grace of God. It is the grace of God that can

>help us transcend the cosmic inexplicability of the visible universe as

>the manifestation of the Unseen Absolute. This attitude of the Bhakta

>can help his/her AhamkAra to disappear with the Grace of God. When the

>Bhakta gets rid of the AhamkAra, he or she declares: "I am the One who

>never changes, I am the One without form, I am the One who permeates

>everywhere, I am the One whom no attachment binds, I am not in the

>bondage and therefore I have no need for liberation, I am always free, I

>am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Siva." (Sankara's NirvAna Shatkam. )

>

>Swami Vivekananda has given a beautiful explanation to "Ego" using a

>powerful story. Once, a soccer ball approached the Swamiji and

>complained: "Everyone is kicking me around, I don't like it and I want

>to be free." Swamij told the ball: " The AIR is the problem and when

>the AIR is released, you will become free!" The AIR is the bondage to

>the ball and EGO is our bondage and when we release the bondage, we can

>be free!

>--

>Ram Chandran

>Burke, VA

>

>

>

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>Discussion of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy, its true meaning,

profundity, richness and beauty with the focus on the non-duality between

mind and matter

[Guest guest]

At 07:39 AM 11/6/98 -0800, Aikya_Param wrote:

>I have had students who suffered some trauma in their first years who work

>hard (and happily successfully) with therapists to complete the formation of

>their damaged ego. When they meet some spiritual people who talk a great

>deal about destroying the ego, it is very confusing to them.

 

This is a very good and important point. I know several people with

damaged egos (in the psychological sense) who turn to spiritual sadhana

when therapy might be more direct. They want the pain to go, and to them,

enlightenment is seen as a means. They hear teachers and others in

spiritual circles advise about killing the ego, dropping it, etc.

 

--Greg

[Guest guest]

sadananda <sada writes:

> What is Ego?

> It looks like the discussion on Ego apparently drifting into somewhat

> confusion. What is Ego and does it exist in the present etc. are the

> questions that are pertinent to have clear understanding. Some of the

> confusion is inherent in the problem itself, since we are trying to

define

> something that is really elusive, yet experienced intensely. .........

 

I agree with Sadaji that the confusion is inherent in the problem

itself. Ego or ahamkAra is the identification of oneself with the

external body, external action, external pleasure and pain. The only

identification that is enjoined is with the Inner Self, the Atman. All

other identifications are certain to lead us to confusion and miseries.

Intellectual enquiry starts with the question - "Who am I?" The answer

to this question comes from detachments from everything that is not

"I." The attachments to the external body, external action and external

perception are transient. According to Gita, detachment can be achieved

if we live our life with the Yagna spirit - "Life is a bridge, enjoy

while crossing, don't build a castle." When we attain this mental

attitude in dealing with our life, we become the witnesses rather than

actors and we perform Yagnas rather than actions.

 

Bhagavad Gita suggests that we undertake Sadhanas to change our mental

attitude. According to Karma Yoga, we perform our actions without

looking for the fruits. This statement requires additional

clarifications: First, action is continuous and we can't separate the

action and the result. The evolution of the Ego comes from the

truncation of an action and confusion prevails from the separation of

action and result. Ego introduces the time-dimension and creates the

notions - past, present and future. This may explain the reasons behind

the declaration - Vedas (knowledge/ Truth) have no beginning and there

will be no ending! Does an act of kindness require any reward? Is it

not true that the act of kindness is itself the reward?! Karma Yoga is

the strategy to develop the positive mental attitude to deal with any

adverse situations.

 

One of the effective ways to detach the AhamkAra attitude is through

dAsya Bhakti which dwells on the magnificence of the Ishwara and which

expresses itself through humility and service of others as the children

of God. Mother Teresa demonstrated that Ego can be destroyed through

service to the Lord by conducting service to the children of the Lord.

The Bhakti Yoga in Bhagavad Gita describes the virtues of performing

actions with this Yagna spirit. In Sivananda Lahari , a poem of 100

verses written by Sankara, he says in verse five:

" Day in and day out I roam about in vain in search of wealth and food

for this little belly of mine. O, Lord, I know not how to serve you. But

fortunately, by iota of merit in my past births, You are still in my

heart as in everyone's and therefore, O Lord of Beings, You should

protect me."

In all slackest and in the entire Hindu literature of prayer, the appeal

is for the descent of the grace of God. It is the grace of God that can

help us transcend the cosmic inexplicability of the visible universe as

the manifestation of the Unseen Absolute. This attitude of the Bhakta

can help his/her AhamkAra to disappear with the Grace of God. When the

Bhakta gets rid of the AhamkAra, he or she declares: "I am the One who

never changes, I am the One without form, I am the One who permeates

everywhere, I am the One whom no attachment binds, I am not in the

bondage and therefore I have no need for liberation, I am always free, I

am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Siva." (Sankara's NirvAna Shatkam. )

 

Swami Vivekananda has given a beautiful explanation to "Ego" using a

powerful story. Once, a soccer ball approached the Swamiji and

complained: "Everyone is kicking me around, I don't like it and I want

to be free." Swamij told the ball: " The AIR is the problem and when

the AIR is released, you will become free!" The AIR is the bondage to

the ball and EGO is our bondage and when we release the bondage, we can

be free!

--

Ram Chandran

Burke, VA