The self (ego) and the TRUE SELF.

[Guest guest]

When man learns -the hard way- that he is powerless over all things. Man cannot even get a glass of water for himself. Man cannot even move from here to there. Then his ego is subdued, trimmed, all conceit and all his possessive instincts melt away. This trimmed up ego or self, this powerless ego is my true identity, my true self. This is how man was created just a powerless infant.

Man will recognize beyond doubt, that this ego of his, this self of his, has always been powerless and impotent. I have imagined that this self of mine, this ego of mine, that which I consider "Me"; is powerful and potent. The dreams of power and potency are only attributed to this "Me" through a wrong understanding, a wrong interpretation to the good things that happened to "Me" in the past. I cannot deny that good things did happen to "Me", but it is the misguided attribution of these good things to this "Me" is the cause of my delusion and ignorance. That is how I have built up and fortified this "Me". I build it up and fortified its boundaries by words, by concepts, just by speaking, words, words and more words.

Now, since I have discovered that I am absolutely powerless in the face of anything, since day one till now and I cannot but be that forever. Then who is the agent responsible for these good things that happened to "Me"?

One might say it is God. Another might answer, it is chance. A third will say it is fate. Words and labels do not count. The important thing that I am powerless in the face of anything. By being powerless I have been living perfectly well the last 60 years or so. Then I understood that there is no need to put up the garment of power and potency to live perfectly well. I have laid down my arms. My surrounding conditions and circumstances always came to my aid. The Whole Cosmos came to my aid. I have always been the child of this Cosmos, but I took no note of it and instead I thought that I was taking care of myself. I came from that Cosmos. Then all my defenses are laid down, I do not need them to live, I have been living without them for years, but I kept my powers and defenses because I imagined that I needed them.

That is how the conceit and the possessive instincts of the ego are abandoned. That is how Man returns to his powerless original self. This powerless original self is supported by the Cosmos. This powerless original self was never separated from the Cosmos for one second; even when I imagined that I am alone and separate depending on my own powers and potencies. This self that was never separated from the Cosmos for one moment, this self/cosmos integration is the True SELF of Sri Ramana Maharshi. This is the One Reality Seekers for Truth has been searching for.