EGO or EGOISM - The illusory identity
by
Atman Nityananda
The ego
is what we think we are and makes us have the illusion that we are separate
individuals limited by the physical body and mind. The ego is what creates in
us the 'I-ness' and 'Mine-ness'.
I-ness : The identification of
the ego with the body creates the solid sense "I am the body" and
becomes the agent of all actions performed by the body and mind. This creates
an illusory sense of "I am the doer", "I am the thinker",
"I am the feeler" I am the perceiver "," I am the knower.
"
Mine-ness :With the
identification of the ego with people and objects we are related the ego
expands and 'Mine-ness "is developed. So we say my car, my house, my wife,
my .....etc. We consider them as an extension of ourselves and we are
attached to them. When we lose them we experience a lot of needless suffering.
The ego is also identified with all waves of thought, fantasies, memories, beliefs and emotions that arise in the mind.
The sattvic and tamasorajasic aspects of ego
In its sattvic aspect creates the individuality allowing us to live with harmony, love
and health and facilitates our path to enlightenment or liberation.
But when it is tamasorajasic makes us identify with the physical body creating thus the solid sense 'I am the body’ or better ‘the body is me’ and causes also many other identifications, projections and illusions that are the root of individual and collective suffering. All the selfish qualities like-dislike, lust, passions, desires, anger, fear, jealousy, hatred, envy, perversion, greed etc. belong in this lower self or egoic self. This I call it as vital-ego because all the selfish tendencies mentioned above are related to the vital body and manas (sensory-emotional mind).
Egoism is
a kind of energy which is crystallized in our vital-emotional-mental bodies.
The ‘I-thought is the expression of the egoic energy in the thinking mind and the 'I-sense is the expression of the egoic energy in the vital-emotional body. This ego-energy is like a virus that uses the body, te vital energy, the mind and the intellect creating inumerable pain and suffering. The egoic energy has rajasic and tamasic nature and it is created by the modification of the vital and sexual energy.
The ‘I-thought is the expression of the egoic energy in the thinking mind and the 'I-sense is the expression of the egoic energy in the vital-emotional body. This ego-energy is like a virus that uses the body, te vital energy, the mind and the intellect creating inumerable pain and suffering. The egoic energy has rajasic and tamasic nature and it is created by the modification of the vital and sexual energy.
The main
expressions of this egoic energy are:
1. Identification with
the body. The strong sense that ’I am the body’ or’ the body is me’
2. Desire for sense
pleasure (mainly for sex, food, drink, and sensual objects in general),
possessions (money etc.), power, fame and name
3. The egoic energy is
the root-cause of all pairs of opposites: Like-dislike, attraction-repulsion,
fascination/disappointment etc.
4. All psychological disorders
or defects such as fear, anger, jealousy, envy, impatience, depression,
hypocrisy, hatred, etc. The negative energy which is stored in our vital body
Eckhart Tolle calls it Pain-body.
The goal of yoga about the ego
Our goal is
to eliminate the ego and realize that we are pure and eternal Consciousness. Of
course the elimination of ego is directly related with the purification of the
vital and emotional energy and the purification of the chitta (subconscious)
because all selfish desires and emotional-mental patterns are stored in the
subconscious levels of chitta.
It is impossible to eliminate the ego directly. We have to work with various techniques and methods and dissolve gradually the various aspects of ego.
It is impossible to eliminate the ego directly. We have to work with various techniques and methods and dissolve gradually the various aspects of ego.
Peace, Love ,Harmony