KKT/ego is an illusion

[Guest guest]

phamdluan wrote:

> Dear everyone,

>

> I want to share with you an

> excerpt from an interview with

> Bannanje Govindacharya by

> Andrew Cohen in the new issue

> of "What is Enlightenment" with

> the interesting theme "What is Ego?"

>

>

> BG: Just to deny ego is of no consequence at all. If somebody

> merely says that they have no ego, THAT is ego--that is the

> greatest ego . "I don't have ego so I need not reject it" is a foolish

> statement. Somebody who says, "I don't have ego," is at the

> same time EXPRESSING his ego . This is against our experience .

> It's just escapism through philosophy . These people say the ego

> is false and not existent and that therefore they don't have to reject

> it. But what is existent then? Does that mean everything is

> nonexistent? Then why practice? Practice is nonexistent! If the

> whole thing is false, if it doesn't exist, and if only the real essence

> exists, then why practice? A REALIZED person can say that

> they don't have ego because it is a self-ASSESSMENT; it is not

> self-assertion. THEY can say it. But not ALL people can say

> it. It is not a common, general statement.

>

> You see, the problem is that in Advaita there is no acknowledgment

> of individuality . Advaita says that all is only one ATMAN [self].

> But Advaita is just a certain sect in India; it's not the whole of Indian

> philosophy . In fact, Shankara, who lived in the seventh century, was

> the only major Indian philosopher who preached Advaita . Later

> philosophers--Ramanuja, Bhaskara, Nimbarka, Madhva--everybody

> condemns Shankara . Nobody accepts him. But nowadays, Advaita

> has become a fashion.

>

> Any comment?

>

> Peace,

>

> KKT

>

 

Dearest and most wonderful brother KKT,

 

Your posts always bring a smile as you seem to have such breadth in

everything. Advaita, Krishnamurti, U.G., Ramesh, Osho, in fact, anyone who

can be named.

 

Dear KKT, your reflections are profound as they often address the immediate

questions of creating a bridge between "what to do?" and "how to be?" in the

spiritual context. Perhaps such a bridge is made of tears only from the life

struggles, but I love the spirit of your company and the attitude of honest

inquiry. Of course, Advaita is just one school of thought. It does not matter

if it is in fashion today. Fashions indeed come and go and following any

fashion can exact a price.

 

How can we be concerned with fashions without having an investment in it.

People such as BG are concerned that some aspirants are "falsely" denying the

ego while the "TRULY REALIZEDauthentically" denied the ego as it had been

destroyed in them. BG may be a wise person and that concern might be very

genuine. But after all, it is BG's concern and not ours. It is for BG to work

out his concerns and un-entangle himself from his involvement about fashions

and non fashions, etc., if such exist in him.

 

My beautiful friend, all the wise sayings and fashions and non fashions and

opinions and views of great people, and poetry and commentaries of subtle and

profound nature are left behind and fall away into nothingness.

 

Now and then, once in a while, in some life, we hear the words of a friend,

"You are the light, the Truth, and the Way, and you will come to your Self

through your Self." That friend is the Guru and only a reflection of the

Self. Those words work in a flash when the time is ripe and then dissolve

into the Self.

 

Love to all

Harsha