A Critique of "Kill The Ego"

I think the ego serves a purpose when you're younger. Because most young people are very ego driven. It gets them to do a lot of work they might not otherwise do. Because they're in that keeping up with the Jones effect. But as a result a lot of stuff gets done, a lot of work hours are clocked. So in reality it's needed to a point. But at some point it's good to snap out of it too and start living more practically and unhindered by your ego waffle

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Perhaps the ego is an exaggeration of the sense of self.

Now we can all have fragile self views at times and especially while we are young.

Now I also agree that it does form part of a defensive mechanism for the psyche , but I also know we are capable of managing it .

To me I have framed it like a young puppy that at times can be out of control and jump all over people.

So some training is required , once you teach that puppy to sit and stay where it should , then it performs as a very good cheer squad for your self esteem , provided it knows its boundaries.

reply to post by duesprimusvictorimmortali

the soul(aka consciousness) is your perception. it perceives the ego. it dosent have physical qualities and is always constant through out life and death. because the soul transcends time and space reality viewed from this perspective becomes objective. objective reality isn't understood as much because most people live life using only there ego. hints of objective reality are things like deja vu, intuition, astral projection, etc

So soul = consciousness = perception? That seems like a stretch. Anything that doesn't have physical qualities cannot act upon nor be known to physical things.

What is it really that is able to perceive anything? There is still only one thing that exists buried under all these labels. It's just a matter of admitting what that is. Perception nor consciousness nor soul transcend this one thing.

Your hints of "objective reality" aren't hints of anything outside of a subjective experience.

reply to post by Lingweenie

The ego is not a bad thing to have. It's actually something your body needs.

I would go far enough to state with certainty that the ego is, in fact, our body. What is it that wears the clothes? What is it that appears a certain way? What is it that names itself? What is it that defends itself? What is it that thinks and speaks etc. etc. etc.?

The ego cannot, by nature, be a thing or substance. It is a doing. It is an action. And what is it that performs the action of ego?

All answers lead to the human organism.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13

Can you visualize many here for example on EA*RTH seeking spiritual advancements doing metaphysical practices that originally are practiced to enlighten. And them not being aware of potential TEST associated with these practices and or advancements. Some test which may challenge the heart compassion mental empathy & intent of a seeker. And then its found upon challenge test or temptations of the Soul/Spirit/Internal energy of the CREATOR Creation being tested as they practiced... that an area exist (ego) where these seekers may be weak or vulnerable unknowingly as they continue metaphysical practices that may cause ENCOUNTERS they didn't consider.

Metaphysics is the attempt to express nature, the universe, being, and reality in words. Even science is metaphysics. A quick browse through Aristotle's "Methaphysics"—where the word originates from—shows that it has nothing to do with attaining enlightenment or spiritual gain.

But there really is no such area called Ego is there? Is it, perhaps, not an actual place but a concept meant to guide the spiritually driven?

The ego is a construct heavily linked to superficial ideas and self made "absolutes". Everyone has an ego, and there simply is not an exception to that. I've experienced "ego loss" from separation of mind and our physical reality. It is perhaps the most enlightening experience one can have. I don't think anyone can have a truthful opinion on ego until they have been separated from it. When you must look at yourself from an outside perspective and accept YOU and critically examine yourself.. You will have a much better understanding of what Ego is.

The people arguing they've been "studying" this longer than other people, or they "know" and others don't, or that others are wrong and they are not.. Are actually reaffirming their lack of understanding of "ego" or at least reinforcing egocentricity by which others cannot be correct because it differs from their perspective.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo

When you must look at yourself from an outside perspective and accept YOU and critically examine yourself.. You will have a much better understanding of what Ego is.

Like I said, when we are talking about ego, we are talking about ourselves. The only thing we are examining in regards to an ego is ourselves.

We can imagine that we create superficial constructs, but in reality, we are merely choosing to appear a certain way for the sake of others and ourselves. If the ego is this construct, which amounts to no more than the clothes we wear and the labels we choose, then we have "ego loss" every time we step into the shower or go to sleep.

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Yes - when asleep the ego disappears. Could it be said that the 'true self' might be what you appear to be in deep sleep?
After all what is the difference between deep sleep and being awake? Is it just that there is something to see when awake?
In deep sleep the perceiver still is but there is nothing to see.

NiNjABackflip
Like I said, when we are talking about ego, we are talking about ourselves. The only thing we are examining in regards to an ego is ourselves.

We can imagine that we create superficial constructs, but in reality, we are merely choosing to appear a certain way for the sake of others and ourselves.

Are you choosing to appear a certain way? Why choose to be something that you are not?

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Discovering the ego for the sake of examination is actually quite impossible. At least to my knowledge, nothing called an ego has ever been witnessed, and I would wager that no such entity or substance exists to be discovered.

Trying to identify the ego would be akin to trying to identify the wind.

You know its there, yet you still cant see it. You can only see the effects it has on its environment.

(Keeping with the same analogy) A hurricane causes much damage to its environment, where as a soft breeze is often welcome. We don't want to be completely rid of wind as it would get pretty stagnate around here.

............be the breeze

KellyPrettyBear
reply to post by coquine

 

In my experience, the 'ego killing crowd' actually have the
nastiest egos in the entire world. It may take a lot of
poking and prodding.. but when you finally force it
into the open, old swamijji will try to take your head
off with a spoon.

KPB

If theres one thing I can vouch for its that all of you would change your mind after one single heavy dose of shrooms.
The slaying of the ego is not only healthy but can also provide a great tool to evolving yourself from living a small life to living one where you almosy fathom that the reason the ego is pointless is because we are all made of the same and connected.
The ego serves the ego... End of story. It is tied to cultural normalities and therefore the person you are is controlled by what society deems normal or acceptable.
But that doesnt mean its sensible to let the ego decide for your being. It just makes it easier for your ego to relate to other beings.... Buying into the superficial practialities of society, such as money, thd game score, the latest news and so on.

Non of this you need.... Your ego needs it. But if you choose to you can with little effort remove yourself from these con games, slay your ego and rebuild it just enough to play the game but still remain observant and experience life instead ofjust being another blob of meat in the queue to check out box no 2.

5g dried cubensis... Thats the key to the door.

duesprimusvictorimmortali
oh no. my first post was just describing the difference between the ego and soul. the op was talking about understanding what the ego was before talking about it. but then said the ego and soul were the same thing proving he didn't know what he was talking about.

Okay, I think that the conversation between you and I is getting all tangled up. I finally understood what you meant. Let's leave it at that.

duesprimusvictorimmortali
you say you've been studying longer than i have probably. but im willing to bet ive experienced more than you

No need to turn this into a p***ing match. I hope this doesn't turn into a childish game of, "I can meditate longer than you can." If it does turn into that, then let's just say that for the sake of convenience, you win.

duesprimusvictorimmortali
i still dont understand how you can say "I'm not sure how anyone at this point in time can beat the game of life and death"

And with that, I'm done talking with you at this point. You're just not getting it, or you're refusing to get that I misunderstood your post back then. I understand now. Let this be the last conversation between us.

reply to post by Itisnowagain

Yes - when asleep the ego disappears. Could it be said that the 'true self' might be what you appear to be in deep sleep?

It would only be a "true self" if we slept our entire lives. How is it a true self if we are awake more than we sleep? If we are awake more than we sleep,what we appear to be while awake would be more true than what we appear to be in deep sleep, simply because it occurs more often.

reply to post by Itisnowagain

Are you choosing to appear a certain way? Why choose to be something that you are not?

How can one choose to be something he is not? It is an impossibility. One can wear a thousand articles of clothing, or none at all—and what about him do you think changes?

reply to post by flice


I'm in full agreement. Could probably attain it with less than 5g Cubensis if it is the right variety. This is probably the most direct and "forced" way to achieve it. Buddhist monks achieve it through years of practice too. Different paths in the woods that lead to the same meadow.


Ego loss is not attained through stepping into the shower devoid of one's material belongings. Ego Loss is MUCH deeper than that. It is an introspective state that allows you to think critically about yourself, others and reality in general without the veil of preconcieved notions. The ego is built on your conditioning, and loss of ego ultimately allows you to see beyond conditioning and human constructs such as religion, time and subjective or relative truths.

Your ego is only you if you let it be. Think of your ego in parallel to "The Matrix". You are plugged in, and are oblivious otherwise. When you finally separate yourself from your ego (The Matrix), then you are free from the meaningless drivel you thought made up your life. You see the world for what it truly is and yourself for who you truly are. The ego is a fog that hides your path and purpose. It is your consciousness protecting itself from itself. It allows you to be infallible or just in your actions when on a universal level you may not be. When you shed the ego, and look at it from the outside looking in, you free yourself from the shackles of human conditioning and reveal universal truths.

Brings to mind some of my favorite lyrics.

"For a moment if you please,
Forget what you believe,
and naked you will see,
that we are all the same..."

NiNjABackflip
reply to post by Lingweenie

 

The ego is not a bad thing to have. It's actually something your body needs.

I would go far enough to state with certainty that the ego is, in fact, our body. What is it that wears the clothes? What is it that appears a certain way? What is it that names itself? What is it that defends itself? What is it that thinks and speaks etc. etc. etc.?

The ego cannot, by nature, be a thing or substance. It is a doing. It is an action. And what is it that performs the action of ego?

All answers lead to the human organism.

Well, obviously the ego is apart of your body, although I wouldn't say that it is you, and you are the ego. The ego is not that far ingrained into us. The ego is not yourself, it is simply the perception of yourself and the things around you. .

Your ego cannot be yourself in general, because your ego is not always what is in reality. It's just your view of it. If I view myself to be fat, although in reality I'm actually very skinny (anorexia) would my egos view be considered me, since my brain and ego truly believe it? Or would my actual body weight be considered me?

I think you may be confusing your personally with your ego. If you swapped the word ego for personally, I could kind of get behind that. Since your personally is what makes you unique, and defines your character. But the ego doesn't define who you are. Since as I said earlier, the egos only purpose is to perceive reality, and build a relationship and viewpoint of the things, people, or places around you. Your ego doesn't effect your interests, favorite color, your passion, how outgoing you are, how shy you are, or how funny you are, and so on. And those things are what make you "you" I guess you can say. Everyone has an ego, but everyone has their own separate personality.

reply to post by flice


All this talk about slaying the ego is gimmick-sounding. If you really slayed the ego you would be in a vegetative state. The ego is necessary for us to operate in the physical world. It's necessary, but only up to a certain point. Your desire for quick enlightenment by way of shrooms is actually a function of the ego, though you may not realize it. You think that getting rid of your problems is as easy as taking a certain amount of shrooms. That's your ego talking. The subconscious and the higher self knows better.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


The reason that I mentioned perhaps studying longer was not to throw my weight around. It was to show him that I simply misunderstood the first time, but that I definitely knew what he was talking about. I didn't say that for sure I studied longer, I was simply implying that I did know what samsara was because I had studied the subject for a long period of time. Sometimes I think that people just glance at what other people have written.

reply to post by flice

The slaying of the ego is not only healthy but can also provide a great tool to evolving yourself from living a small life to living one where you almosy fathom that the reason the ego is pointless is because we are all made of the same and connected.
The ego serves the ego... End of story. It is tied to cultural normalities and therefore the person you are is controlled by what society deems normal or acceptable.
But that doesnt mean its sensible to let the ego decide for your being. It just makes it easier for your ego to relate to other beings.... Buying into the superficial practialities of society, such as money, thd game score, the latest news and so on.

There is no ego. End of story. If there was, I'm sure we could find out what it is and discuss its properties. But what is it we are actually talking about?

It is tied to nothing because it is nothing. Egos, being nothing, are incapable of deciding, or serving itself, because there is nothing there to serve. It is nothing but a bogey man, perhaps to feign taking responsibility for one's own actions, and instead blaming our misdeeds and thoughts on something other than ourselves.

Whether one adheres to the customs of his culture and upbringing, or not, has nothing to do with anything besides ourselves.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo

You see the world for what it truly is and yourself for who you truly are. The ego is a fog that hides your path and purpose. It is your consciousness protecting itself from itself. It allows you to be infallible or just in your actions when on a universal level you may not be. When you shed the ego, and look at it from the outside looking in, you free yourself from the shackles of human conditioning and reveal universal truths.

I will have to disagree.

To say that ego hides our paths and purpose is to say we know what our paths and purposes are—which we simply do not.

When we say "shed the ego", we are really shedding nothing, because there is nothing there to shed.

If ego is human conditioning, and we are human, how is this human conditioning not a universal truth? How is a fact of our existence, not a fact of the universe?

We cannot look at it from the outside looking in because there is nothing called an ego to look at. We can only think about it, just like we can only think that something inside us is guiding our actions. Of course, our eyes look outward, and not inward because they do not face outside in, and we can not confirm the existence of any such thing called an ego, nor come to the conclusion that we must kill it.

Blaming an ego, when there is nothing there to blame, becomes a meaningless endeavour.