What is Ego?

[Guest guest]

Here is a question given Amma by What is Enlightenment

magazine.

 

 

WIE: What is ego?

 

MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI: You are actually asking, what is

unreality? But how can unreality be described? What

use is there in talking about something that isn't

real, that is nonexistent? And how can you speak about

that which is real? Amma can only give you a few

hints. The mind is the ego. But the ego is a big

lie—it is a liar. It is unreal.

 

There was a cowherd boy who took his cows to the

meadows every morning and brought them back to the

cowshed at the end of the day. One evening, as he was

tying the cows up for the night, the boy found that

one of them was missing her rope. He feared that she

might run away, but it was too late to go and buy a

new rope. The boy didn't know what to do, so he went

to a wise man who lived nearby and sought his advice.

The wise man told the boy to pretend to tie the cow,

and make sure that the cow saw him doing it. The boy

did as the wise man suggested and pretended to tie the

cow. The next morning the boy discovered that the cow

had remained still throughout the night. He untied all

the cows as usual, and they all went outside. He was

about to go to the meadows when he noticed that the

cow with the missing rope was still in the cowshed.

She was standing on the same spot where she had been

all night. He tried to coax her to join the herd, but

she wouldn't budge. The boy was perplexed. He went

back to the wise man who said, "The cow still thinks

she is tied up. Go back and pretend to untie her." The

boy did as he was told, and the cow happily left the

cowshed. This is what the guru does with the ego of

the disciple. The guru helps untie that which was

never there. Like the cow, due to our ignorance, we

believe that we are bound by the ego when, in fact, we

are completely free. We need to be convinced of this,

however.

 

The ego is an illusion with no existence of its own.

It appears to be real because of the power it derives

from the Atman [self]. It is animated by the Atman.

The ego itself can be compared to dead matter; for

without the Atman, it would have no life. Stop

supporting the ego, and it will withdraw and

disappear. We ourselves lend the unreal ego its

reality. Expose it for what it is, or rather, for what

it isn't, and that will be the end of it.

 

A dog wags its tail—the tail does not wag the dog. If

the tail were to wag the dog, it would be disastrous!

The same is true with the mind. The mind, or the ego,

should be nothing more than a useful tool; a sadhaka

[spiritual seeker] shouldn't let him- or herself be

ruled by the whims and fancies of the mind.

 

The ego consists of our thoughts and our mind. Our

thoughts are our own creation. We make them real by

cooperating with them. If we withdraw our support,

they will dissolve. We simply have to observe our

thoughts. The clouds in the sky assume different

shapes, and they change constantly. You may see clouds

drifting by that look like faces of the gods or

different animals or sailing ships. A small child may

believe that these shapes are real, but, of course,

they are only illusions. In the same way, our ever

changing thoughts drift through the mind, which is the

ego. They assume different forms, but they are no more

real than the shape of a cloud in the sky. If we

simply witness our thoughts as they drift by, they

will no longer have any effect on us or influence us

in any way.

 

A lion made of sandalwood is real to a child, but to a

grown-up it's a piece of sandalwood. For the child,

the wood is concealed, revealing only the lion. The

grown-up may also enjoy the lion, but he knows it is

not real. For him, the wood is real, not the lion. In

the same way, to a Self-realized soul, the entire

universe is nothing but the essence, the "wood" that

comprises everything, the Absolute Brahman or

Consciousness.

 

 

 

 

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Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha!

 

 

 

 

Mata amritanandamayi

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