The role of the ego
- Hira Hosèn
- Jan 4, 2019
- 2 min read
In many spiritual traditions, the role of the ego/personality in the process of reaching Enlightenment can be easily underestimated and misunderstood. Unless we see clearly that the ego - in itself - is something absolutely positive, and as such, a perfect tool for arriving at higher levels of awareness, we cannot understand the process of awakening ✨
There’s a paradox of transcending the ego without actually annihilating it. In many Buddhist teachings the ego is seen as not real, and only a play of the 5 senses (skandhas). I agree. But what about the understanding that our body/mind operates as an alive and coherent organism of intelligence? Moving in a purposeful and meaningful way? ✨
The ego indeed cannot be found anywhere, because the one looking for it, is the ego itself. It’s too close to be found. Yet certainly, it’s always there. The ego is not fixed, it has many aspects, many layers. Let’s call it a unified field of identity. A self-conscious function of individualized consciousness, capable of relating to its surrounding and itself in a centralized and intelligent manner ✨
In meditation for example, this thing called ego is constantly accompanying the process of meditation, allowing us to create clarity and understanding. The ‘art’ of resting within the stillness, silence and spaciousness of our being, and the self-conscious movement of our intelligence are not separated from one another. Without the gentle checking of our state during meditation, and cultivation in general, we would be unable to make any progress in our practice. This is one of the functions of the ego ✨
How can we possibly enlighten the ego if we deny its very existence?
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Enlightenment is not the end of our growth. The understanding of the Enlightened state and its relation to the ego, as well as to the manifested reality, is constantly evolving. The ego and the Enlightened state co-exist in a very interesting way - they relate to each other✨
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