Eric: ego and God

November 13, 2007

Jai Maa! and namaste Eric,

You didn't ask for my opinion, but I find this interesting, so I humbly and with love offer my thoughts. I assume that when you talk about " ego " you're talking about " ahamkara. " If that is the case, It seems to me that your friend has mistaken ego (as in, Western [pop-]psychology with all its bad connotations) for ego (as in, ahamkara, literally the " I-maker " of Hindu philosophy).

I am reminded of what Swamiji said about Tamas in his Kali Puja classes - that Tamas isn't a bad thing, in fact it's necessary for these bodies that are our vehicles on this planet. It's just when we get too much of it or use it improperly or without discernment/awareness that there are problems.

Ahamkara is useful! It allows us to exist in this physical world to do what we need to do for spiritual progression. But it also takes over, makes us forget that Maa exists, or that we are connected intimately to all of creation, makes us forget that we are actually one with everything; the tool that helps us exist in the world also makes us stuck in the world. It is jnana (knowledge) and vidya (wisdom) that help expand ahamkara and teach it to grow up, and realize that Everything Is Not All About Me. That everything is all about MAA! Mahadevi! Great Mother! Or however it is useful for me see God/dess, right? But ahamkara likes being right, so it fights divine wisdom like a hyperactive teenager.

I think your friend is right in some way; sure, ahamkara is Maa just as everything is Maa, it's a tool Maa has given us - but the flaw in his logic is that it also is responsible for keeping us separate from Maa, because it is like that hyperactive teenager, really a sweet thing at heart, but trying to be grown up and wise without really not understanding how everything is connected. It's a trick of ahamkara to equate oneself with ahamkara, with the individual personality. But to say that it (or anything else) is separate from Maa may also be another trick of ahamkara!

Anyway, my thought is, if one can use wisdom and discernment to expand one's " ego " (that is, the " I-maker " ) to include everything and find oneness with the Ultimate, so that it is not " I " and " you " but " MAA " then it becomes a tool rather than a hindrance. So I don't think either you or your friend is " right " or " wrong, " necessarily.

Just my two cents, to take or leave.

And regardless, I have faith that Swamiji and/or Shree Maa (well, there's me thinking of them as separate! how foolish of me!) will have a short, sweet and powerful response to your question.

shanti,

sundari

On Nov 12, 2007 7:38 AM, Eric Cassils <Quanchula1 wrote:

Namaste Vishweshwar,Your remark about the the ego is interesting, and Iresonate with it, however, when I spoke to one of myfriends who I believe does not understand the pitfallsof ego, and mentioned Sri Maa's remark that " Ego is

the enemy of wisdom. Ego can make you fall' to try tohelp him negate some of the impulsive drives he was heexperiencing, he just responded by saying " Embrace theEgo as God already " and that he is no " hindu

purusha/prakriti dualist' as if to say that viewingthe ego as seperate from God is just a perverse formof inane dualism. Ego must have been created by God,but just because God creates something, does that make

God's creation equal with God? I replied to my friendthat I would not embrace the ego as God already, asthat is simply not my experience of the ego, and Imuch prefered to receive the grace of Maa that slices

and dices away at persona imbalances such as inflatedpride, ignorace and pomposity. What do Swami and Maahave to say about this idea that ego is God already?Much Love, Jai Maa! Jai Svami,Eric--- inspectionconnection108

<inspectionconnection108 wrote:> Namaste Wendy: Thanks for posting from your heart. > I truly> understand how difficult it can be to be away from

> Maa. That said,> you refused to surrender to the ego and made the> effort to stay tuned> to Her in your heart. Sure we know She is always> there, but we do> forget. But She never forgets, She never goes away,

> She is amazing. > She is our Guru. She brings the Light to dispel the> darkness. > > Jai Maa Jai Swami> > vishweshwar> > > > >

, " way131 " > <wendy131 wrote:> >> > Namaste Vish,> > I am so glad to see the webcam working again. Not> having the link of

> > the webcam has proven to be a very interesting> stretch of time for > > me -- kind of like my personal Kali Yuga! One> thing I saw, close up > > and personal, was the working of my ego and my

> attachments. I hate to > > say it, but I will admit that sometimes I felt> frustrated by > > not 'seeing' life at the Mandir. I knew there were> activities going > > on, but I couldn't see it, I couldn't hear it, and

> I felt " left out. " > > > > One way (there were others as well) I picked> myself up and shut down > > my ego was to return to Shree Maa's Autobiography.> Reading and > > rereading that book always seems to have a magical> effect on me – it > > helps me feel closer to beloved Shree Maa and> serves as another > > reminder that She is always with me. > > So, I guess my studies here have helped me (yes,> this is quite an > > undersatement!). Previously, it would be easy for> me to just get lost > > in the daily drama of life and 'forget' about my

> spiritual practices, > > but not this time.> > Although at times I may have held on by a thread,> I held on!!> > > > Jai Maa!!!> > Jai Swamiji!!> > > > lovelove> > w> > > > ,> " inspectionconnection108 " > > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote:

> > >> > > Namaaste: I have been able to log onto the> Mandir Temple web > > cameras.> > > Anyone having problems, let me know the exact> description of it

> > and I> > > will ask for help.> > > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami> > > > > > vishweshwar> > >> >> > >

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