Why the Self is not a Higher I' ?
by Atman Nityananda
Many spiritual teachers use the word I' for both, the ego and the Self. I consider inappropriate to name the Self with the word 'I or a deeper I' because the Self and the ego are two altogether different things.
The I´ is the ego and is limited and individual or personal while the Self is unlimited and impersonal. The Self is not a deeper I' because has nothing to do with a personal or individual identity.
The I´ is energy and it is located, related and limited to the body while the Self it is not energy, has no location,, is unlimited (it is beyond space, time and form) and it is unattached by the body, the mind and the energy.
The I' is not present in the four states of consciousness while the Self is always present.
The I´ is the ego which creates the illusion that we are the body. We experience this I´ as a sensation in our bodies and we confuse it with the body. Thus when we see, hear, think about something or do something we sense or feel that we as a body-me we see, hear, think or do actions.
Our real Self which is consciousness has not any kind of identity, it is not a sensation or an energy form. It is beyond body, mind, sensations, feelings, is actionless and indescribable.
Finally I consider that using the same word to define two altogether different things, the I´ or ego and the Self, the listeners can be confused and possibly will think that the experience of the Self is an expansive or a deeper experience of their ego.
Peace, Love, Harmony