Ego

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha et al, I would love to compare the Western and Eastern

meaning of the word and term ego for harmony.

 

Here is Gene and than Gopala:

 

My best advice is to treat the word 'ego'

as a bit of jargon.

 

As we may already know, 'jargon' is the

special vocabulary use by specialists, and

as such, is likely to be misused by non-

experts.

 

In fact, it is my observation that if one

never, ever uses the word 'ego', one will

be far better for such a 'practice'.

 

From my POV of years of study pre-internet,

and then from years online, the word 'ego'

is one of the most dangerous words that

can be used in text, speech and thought.

 

Use of the word 'ego' is what is called, in

linguistics, a 'wastebasket term'. It was not

always this way, but thanks to popular

misuse, this is now the case.

 

What is a 'wastebasket' term? It is a word

which is like a wastebasket; it is a catchall,

a summary, with such broad definition as

to be useless, except as a general pointer

or category. 'Schizophrenia' is another such

word, as is 'idiot' and 'fool'.

 

More to the point; almost everyone 'thinks'

they know, what the word means. But in the

'lingua Franca' or currency of language, 'ego'

has no determinate value. It is like a coin

which changes value randomly. So it is best

to take no stock of it; it is either worthless

or valuable, depending exactly on who is

speaking of it, and then, who is listening.

 

As I have pointed out here and elsewhere

numerous times, the history of the misuse

of the word 'ego' became a factor of danger,

many years ago, when 'hipsters' (NOT hippies)

imported a few Indian 'Gurus' to speak here

in the USA. Such 'Beat' poets, writers and

social luminaries indulged in such altruistic

efforts, imagined that the 'Gurus' would be

the 'spiritual guides' for a nation starving

for higher truth. Little did they know how

wrong they were...

 

The 'danger' of misuse of the word 'ego'

arose to the threat-level of 'RED' when the

Indian Gurus, searching for an English word

which could be interchanged with the 'Hindi'

words for 'false self', began using 'ego' as that

very descriptor. UNFORTUNATELY, those good-

hearted Gurus did not realize that the word 'ego'

was ALREADY IN USE in the west, as a term of

insult. 'Ego' was used to describe a person who

had an unrealistically high estimation of self-worth,

as in 'what an egotist!' and so on. All of us are

quite familiar with that colloquial use of the word,

are we not?

 

Now why were these first few imported Gurus

going on and on about 'false self', using the word

'ego' as a convenience? The answer is this, and it

may be hard to take, so be sure you are sitting

down as you read this...

 

'You do not know yourself', was the simple message

in the beginning. It was to say, that there is a level

of awareness to be attained, and there are means to

attain it. And when you attain it, you will look back

and realize you were more than a bit blinded by

your prior ignorance. It was that simple, in the beginning.

 

But due to the misuse of the word 'ego', things got out of

hand very quickly. Popularized versions of the 'teachings'

were soon available, and soon, an entire mythos evolved

which was based upon THE MISUSE OF A WORD. And this

mythos had grown and amplified and has been trumpeted

hither and yon, the latest example of this idiocy being

exampled by Mr E Tolle, whose own misuse of 'ego' has

spawned an entire generation of newly hatched

spiritual morons... as though we did not have enough

already!

 

Again, my best advice is to simply expunge the word

'ego' from your vocabulary, and to carry on with your

studies and practices, using only PLAIN SPEAKING

instead of jargon.

 

I have a dare for this group. I can reasonably state that

we have here, so many jargon-dependent persons, that

no matter what, the word 'ego' will be swatted back

and forth like a toxic shuttlecock, to no-one's benefit.

 

So my dare is this, and it is aimed at you, the reader:

 

TRY to have conversation here, using only plain words

and no jargon.

 

TRY to converse about your favorite topics, without that

shortcut/wastebasket term 'ego'. You could even go so

far as to hold yourself responsible for producing complete

ideas which actually DESCRIBE what you are trying to say,

rather than chop it off with a word which is in fact a

signal of universal confusion.

 

I dare you. Give it a try. The results could be 'enlightening'.

 

 

==GP==

 

 

You do NOT know what it means

because it means " nothing " .

 

Start there...

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

From : http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening-6.htm

The student rejoices: In the text, Vivekachudamini (The Crest Jewel of

Discrimination), Adi Shankaracharya relates a symbolic story of the

interaction between a teacher and a student. Shankara writes of the

final joy of realization of the Absolute, where the student cries out:

 

" The ego has disappeared. I have realized my identity with Brahman

[the word for the absolute reality] and so all my desires have melted

away. I have risen above my ignorance and my knowledge of this seeming

universe. What is this joy that I feel? Who shall measure it? I know

nothing but joy, limitless, unbounded!

" The ocean of Brahman is full of nectar--the joy of the Atman [the

individual Self]. The treasure I have found there cannot be described

in words. The mind cannot conceive of it. My mind fell like a

hailstone into that vast expanse of Brahman's ocean. Touching one drop

of it, I melted away and became one with Brahman. And now, though I

return to human consciousness, I abide in the joy of the Atman.

" Where is this universe? Who took it away? Has it merged into

something else? A while ago, I beheld it--now it exists no longer.

This is wonderful indeed!

" Here is the ocean of Brahman, full of endless joy. How can I

accept or reject anything? Is there anything apart or distinct from

Brahman?

" Now, finally and clearly, I know that I am the Atman, whose

nature is eternal joy. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing

that is separate from me. "

 

OM, shanti, shanti, shanti

OM, peace, peace, peace