EGO (AHAMKARA), ATMAN, AND EMOTIONS
By Dr. Dharitri Ramaprasad
All human beings
strive for “happiness.” In other words, goal of human life is “happiness.” This
state of “happiness” is not the same as the emotions of “being happy.” This
state of being happy is seen as transitory and is experienced due to the ego or
“ahamkara”
abiding in external objects and hence, it is wholly dependent on the external
objects. In the Indian perspective, “happiness” or “bliss” i.e., ananda
is the true nature of “self” or atman.
This state of atman
has been described as sat-chit-ananda, i.e., the
oneness of existence (sat), consciousness (chit)
and bliss (ananda). This state is the conquest and transcendence of
pleasure and pain or the egocentric emotions. This is the state of
non-involvement of ego and experience of true empathy wherein the feelings are
experienced as one's own and still not one's own as this experience is
independent of the objects of the external world. In this sense, emotion and
emotional experiences provide a pathway towards personal growth or
transformation.
EMOTIONS
In the Indian philosophical
texts and scriptures detailed description of emotions are not available nor are
dealt with as a separate concept. They are seen as a component of personality
arising out of the contact of ego or ahamkara
with the external world. According to Jain, this could be because “emotions remained something
to be transcended in order to achieve the ultimate goal of life.” Emotions are viewed
in the
context of the ego (ahamkara)
and the true self (atman). It
is an experience that represents the relation between the ego and the outside
world. In the Indian thought, emotions are seen as arising from desires.
Emotions in turn are viewed as springs of action and are bi-polar in nature.
There is a strong emphasis on sukha
and dukha (pleasure and pain)
as the two opposites. Emotions are concerned with mind or the Manomaya kosa and influence both the
food sheath and the vital air sheath as evident from the physiological
reactions accompanying emotions. Emotions and their affective experiences are
influenced by the intellect or the Vignanamaya
kosa, the cognitive appraisal as proposed by Lazarus, as well as the Anandamaya kosa, the experiential aspect,
or the bliss sheath. The nature of emotions and the associated affect needs to
be examined in this context.
 |
| ego |
All emotions spring from
desires and desire is caused by a sense of imperfection, incompleteness or
non-fulfillment felt within oneself. The stronger the desire, the stronger
would be the emotional experience. A desire when not fulfilled or thwarted
gives rise to anger (Krodha),
jealousy (Asuya), unhappiness (Dukha), and suffering. Desire when
fulfilled leads to happiness (Sukha)
and enjoyment. Indian scriptures warn that fulfillment of a desire can and most
often leads to greed (Lobha).
One craves for more and more of it. There is a yearning for larger possession
and greater enjoyment. These when entertained, one may develop arrogance (Mada) and envy (Matsarya). There is an additional
emotional experience of fear (Bhaya)
of losing whatever one possesses.
These emotions cloud one's intellectual
discrimination and lead one to emotional and mental disturbance. However, not
all emotions are considered detrimental. Emotions are basically seen as virtue
but allowing them to interfere with one's judgment and awareness is considered
a weakness.
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| DESIRE MODIFIES AS EMOTIONS |
The scriptures reiterate that desires
are responsible for all mental agitations and sorrows. The traditional Indian
thought lays great emphasis on desires in the causation of suffering, misery
and pain. Emotions are seen as modification of desire or attachment. It is
suggested that if one wants to overcome the overwhelming emotional experiences
like anger and sorrow, one must locate the desire underlying it and then
eliminate it.
According to Patanjali's Yoga Shastra, suffering is due to
ignorance about one's true “Self” (avidya).
Ignorance leads to misperception. Individuals develop a false sense of ego by
identifying themselves with things/objects around them. The desires, with this
ego attachment, become stronger. This ego attachment, attraction, and repulsion
are termed affliction (Klesas).
The misperception lies in the acceptance of external objects as the true self.
This produces a false view of reality. In this sense, suffering/dukha arises from within and not from
the outside world.
The Bhagvadgita traces all emotional experiences to the gunas, i.e., sattva, rajas, and tamas. Cheerfulness, joy, bliss, forgiveness
and equanimity are associated with sattva.
Rajas gives rise to discontent,
mental agony, grief, greed, hatred, and intolerance. Fatigue, “delusion,”
indolence, and non-discrimination (between the pleasant and the good) are due
to tamas. Hence it is suggested
that men should strive to increase the sattvic
guna.
SOURCE: Indian Journal Psychiatry. 2013 January;.
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