If asked, what is the biggest obstacle for me that stands in my way of fulfilling this journey towards self discovery, I would have to say that it is my ego. Hence it is imperative for me to truly come to an understanding of the nature of my ego. What is Ego?
the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought. ... egotism; conceit; self-importance: Her ego becomes more unbearable each day. self-esteem or self-image; feelings: Your criticism wounded his ego.
One study found that healthy doses of ego directly feed into your willpower, which means, it might help you stick to a diet or focus on a major project, for example. An ego can also help you stay resilient when things go wrong, according to Bentley. When deployed properly, an ego can also help us grow.
According to Jung, the ego represents the conscious mind as it comprises the thoughts, memories, and emotions a person is aware of. The ego is largely responsible for feelings of identity and continuity. ... The personal unconscious contains temporality forgotten information and well as repressed memories.
I have quoted from the Internet a few empirical standards of what is understood as an ego so as not to waste my time trying to do so and come up with my own erroneous interpretation. With these few interpretations as a guide I will try to give my own take on why it is very critical that one has a thorough understanding of how the ego affects a person in the quest for self understanding. There are numerous views and explanations on this issue available from the numerous sources of spiritual teachers and gurus on the Internet and they are all valid, perhaps more so than my own naive level of understanding, however I have my own interpretation and my ego is what I had to deal with throughout my life. I feel after all these years that my ego is like an entity that has haunted me like a 'shadow' as some would call it. I have come to accept the fact that I can never get rid of my ego no matter what, it would like trying to get rid of my physical shadow that is ever with me so long as i am in the light. It is only in total darkness or total brightness or in a state of void that the shadow is not present.
I have been accused by many especially my two siblings elder brothers through out my life as having an ego problem and I cannot help but agree with them. What is worse is that I had expressed myself through anger mostly, like I was out to prove myself against the world that I am not a push over and had my own mind. I was always considered as a black sheep in the family and even among my relatives in the past and much deservedly so as I was as I have often mentioned in my past postings a very incorrigible and a rebel growing up. Hence where the question of ego is concerned I have very much to learn to understand in the context of my own self realization. This is perhaps the most crucial issue one has to come to grips with when one is embarked upon this journey as the ego will be ever present to derail every effort one undertake towards achieving one's goal and that being self liberation. The question will always be, self liberation from what? Although the ego is not the only factor one has to be liberated from, it is to me one of the most hardest if not impossible to break free from, for the death of the ego is in essence the freedom of the soul from the bonds of ignorance. The ego has a will of its own or so it seems and will go all out to stop from being annihilated. I feel the ego can be subdued through acceptance with right understanding, through love and compassion, for the ego cannot be discard simply through denial or suppression. The ego has to be coaxed and lure into giving itself up willingly and this happens when the mind becomes silent or the mind becomes silent when this happens?
"There is no other way of living that can free you from suffering.no other understanding except that which come through self realization. it can bring liberation and peace. Choose to live in truth with an open heart and accept the emptiness of egoless-ness. The one obstacle to victory is the intolerance to emptiness. It is the ego's misguided choice to fill its emptiness with sensory enjoyments, with food, with talk, with sex, with drugs, with alcohol, with music, with anything but the emptiness which is the portal to God. Would rather fill its minds with self attacks then to realize the emptiness, the absolute nothingness, that must through its acceptance of that true nature realize the fullness that the emptiness itself as the supreme paradox reveals itself to be, that is the final unfoldment of Sat Yoga; you reach the summit of your true self." - Suniamurti - Itroductions to Sat Yoga Teachings.Science and Art of Self - Realization.
"Brahman is real, the world is illusion, assimilate this!" - Sri Ramakrishna.
"When you know yourself, you know God!" = Swami Sarvapriananda - You Tube talk. This talk I highly recommend to listen to.#suniamurti #satyoga #selfrealization #liberation #swamisarvapriananda #sriramakrishna
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