The true self and the false ego. False and true ego
What is false ego? This is the identification of the soul (consciousness) with the material body. The soul is an immaterial substance that has consciousness; she is aware, including the material body.
Thanks to the false ego, the soul is associated with the body, and a knot is formed between matter and spirit. But this identification of the soul with the material body is false, since in fact the soul never becomes a body. At the birth of the body the soul is not born, during illnesses of the body the soul does not get sick, at the moment of death of the body the soul does not die; because the soul is not a part of matter, subject to birth (emergence), change and death (disappearance).
It is the false ego that prevents the soul from realizing itself as pure consciousness, since attachment to matter obscures the true state of affairs.
Manifestations of false ego and consequences
The false ego manifests itself through “I”, “me”, “mine” - a person focuses on himself, wants to live for himself, strives to possess material things, which only contributes to forgetting his true nature.
Due to the influence of the false ego, a person becomes completely immersed in material activities, trying to get as much happiness for himself as possible. He tries to get as much pleasure from material life as possible and avoid suffering. However, over time, he realizes that such searches will never give him complete satisfaction, since happiness in the material world is illusory, it slips away every time, leaving behind problems, disappointments, depression and illness. False concepts that cause suffering
All false concepts arise from identification with the material body, that is, from the false ego.
- I am the reason
- I act
- this is mine (I own)
- you need to live for yourself
And so on.
These concepts are false because the soul by definition is pure perceiving consciousness. The Bhagavad Gita describes in detail the nature of the soul, in particular, it clearly states that the soul does nothing in this world (all actions are performed by gunas(energy) of material nature). Many people who have realized their true nature confirm this fact. Therefore, considering yourself the cause is a delusion. The body acts, but acts only under the influence gong(goodness, passion and ignorance), therefore, is not the cause of his actions.
The concept of ownership is also false because in reality everything belongs to God. Real possession or possession is when we cannot lose something, ever. But this does not happen, all material things are transitory, and what we possess, Life can take away from us at any moment, without even asking. What kind of possession is this? This is a constant fear of losing what we have. What is such ownership worth?
And the false concept of “living for oneself” creates a lot of problems for a person, since he attracts people into his life with exactly the same attitude, and then a war begins for possession - things, circumstances, position, pleasures, etc. - possession of something that in any case brings a lot of trouble.
These and other false concepts do not allow a person to realize himself, to know his true nature, forcing him to spin like a squirrel in a wheel, providing him with subsequent incarnations (since unfulfilled desires tie a person to the material world, forcing him to incarnate again and again).
This is the big joke of life - a person imagines himself to be the cause, the author, the owner, and this despite the fact that he himself is entirely a puppet in the hands of material nature.True ego
Neither the mind, nor the intelligence, nor the false ego is the true self, or the true ego.
True ego is the awareness of oneself as an eternal spiritual particle of the Almighty, an integral part of God, His spiritual spark.
By its nature (qualitatively) the soul is not different from God, but different quantitatively, since it is just a tiny particle of God’s consciousness.
The nature of the soul, since it is an integral part of God, is to serve Him. This natural nature souls, as particles of the Unified Consciousness, serve the Whole. The soul cannot do anything else, since this is its only function. It is like an organ of the physical body that naturally serves the whole body; he doesn't work for himself.
Man, as a composite being, Anyway serves God at every moment of his life, be it serving the spiritual energy of God, or the energies of the material world (goodness, passion or ignorance). The only difference is what results he gets - how his future turns out. Everything in this world serves God - always, at every moment of time.
According to the Vedas, true ego manifests itself when a person engages in self-knowledge and gradually realizes his nature: he gets rid of the false concepts “I am the body”, “I want for myself...”, “this is mine”, “I must live for myself”, etc. . He sees that everything in this world is interconnected, nothing happens by chance, everything obeys the Laws of Life, or the Laws of God. He naturally has a desire to do something useful not only for himself, but so that it benefits everyone. This is called living for God, because there is only God, everything that is manifested is a manifestation of God. By bringing benefit to the Whole, a person receives everything he needs, so the desire to live only for himself automatically disappears. This is a manifestation of the true ego. Liberation - how to gain eternity, knowledge, bliss
The Vedas say that true ego brings true happiness to a person, and not temporary pleasures, which inevitably give way to suffering.
The soul is free by nature, since, in fact, it does not even have anything to do with the material world, except for illusory attachments.
The Vedas claim that the nature of the soul is eternity (not subject to time), knowledge (true knowledge about the nature of things) and bliss, that is, real spiritual happiness. And in order to know his nature, a person must study spiritual literature (sacred scriptures), try to understand difficult moments, work on himself, engage in self-knowledge - in one way or another. Thus he gains liberation and achieves eternity, knowledge and bliss ( sat, chit, ananda).
For our era, the Vedas call bhakti yoga, that is, the path of devotional service to God, the fastest method of liberation and self-knowledge. This path very quickly shows a person his true position, both soul and body. However, the difficulty is that the concept of life modern man(living for oneself) is exactly the opposite of the path of bhakti (living for God), which makes this path unsuitable for people who are too much identified with the material body. For such people there are other sections of the Vedas, and everyone can choose the path that suits them. this moment he likes it best.
All paths lead to God, because there is nothing but God. One way or another, every person will someday realize his true nature, get rid of the false ego and gain eternity, knowledge and bliss. The only question is how long the soul’s journey home will take, and what it will encounter along the way.
Let this path be easy, exciting and enjoyable for everyone!
What is the mechanism of connection between soul and matter?
This connection is made through the false ego.
False ego is the mistaken identification of soul with matter in two ways:
1) “I” (for example, “I am body and mind”),
2) “Mine” (“This is my land”).
A mind filled with selfishness cannot tolerate a single word that contradicts the views of a selfish person.
A wise person also has his own unshakable point of view. However, he does not experience discomfort, much less suffering, when listening to someone else's opinion. His only desire is to better understand his opponent’s concept and, having understood it well, humbly and compassionately try to explain his point of view on this matter.
Thus, humble sages have no disputes.
They talk with deep respect for each other.
If a person is not ready to change his ideas about life, then a wise man won't bother him.
People whose minds are saturated with selfishness behave completely differently. They listen to other people's opinions with great suffering and try to prove their own with irritability in their voices. Therefore, in the Vedas, the discussions of wise men are called a gathering of swans, and the disputes of fools are called a gathering of crows.
When crows gather together, if something is wrong, a loud noise arises. Thus, by the ability to listen to other people's opinions without irritation, we can determine how humble, unselfish mind we have. An overly selfish mind is a very big danger.
The worst thing is if a person, as a result of a very selfish mind, at some point in his life began to consider himself God or the messiah.
False ego is our only enemy in this world. It gives us all the bad character traits, it leads us to illness and degradation.
False ego is a substance (not physical) that envelops our “true Self” - the soul, so that we can perceive the material world and act in it.
This is a force that contains a person’s selfish desires.
False egoism manifests itself in us from the very moment of birth.
We know that the child wants to grab everything, everything for himself. If you give him something, he will grab it. If you take anything from him, he will cry.
You can give the following example: you sleep and see a dream in which you associate yourself with another person, perhaps even of the opposite sex, or maybe even a biological species - a bird, for example. The events of the dream captivate you, you rejoice or suffer, experiencing the plot of the dream and completely identifying yourself with the hero.
Until the moment of awakening, you and the hero are one whole.
The hero of the dream was simply a personality superimposed on top of you with his own memories and experiences.
Selfishness means that a person values himself more than others. This is the feeling of "I".
If he appropriates everything, that is, he connects everything to himself, this means living for himself.
We often consider our city better than another.
This is also egoism, which means “mine”: my country, my city, my family, my friends. We value and respect all this more than: a foreign country, a foreign city, a strange family, foreign friends.
Man's selfishness amazes him vital energy, feelings, mind and extends very deeply, right down to the mind. Therefore, it is very, very difficult to understand selfish tendencies in yourself. Only a truly humble person can do this.
Reluctance to work selflessly is a sign of the penetration of selfishness into life energy.
A strong desire for acquisitions is a sign of the penetration of egoism into feelings. The constant desire to justify oneself and one’s views on life is a sign of the penetration of egoism into the mind.
Pride in one's knowledge is a sign of the penetration of egoism into the mind.
We very often emphasize what is connected with us. What is connected to me personally, I emphasize more than if it concerned someone else. Often this happens subconsciously. If, for example, someone complains about their problems, we often do not care as much about this as about our own. I always say something very important to myself, but when others say similar things I don’t always want to listen - this is how false egoism works.
It should be noted that the strength of pain perception depends on the strength of false egoism. The more selfish a person is, the more painfully he reacts to everything. If, for example, a person is very offended, he feels pain, he cries, he hurts in his mind - it means that the energy of the false ego is affecting the mind at this time.
All types of pain that exist in this world arise as a result of the fact that some action occurs that the false ego does not like.
Let's say if someone pinches us, pain will appear. This pain arises from the fact that the false ego (permeating the body) arouses in it a reaction to foreign interference. Anything that prevents the body from enjoying causes pain in it.
In the same way, depending on what type of our consciousness the false ego comes into contact with, this type of pain arises. Therefore, pain can be classified according to the structure of our body:
1. Bodily pain.
2. Pranic pain.
3. Sensual pain.
4. Mental pain.
5. Pain in the mind.
Bhagavad Gita 2.71 “Whoever is not led by the senses, is not attached to the world of objects, does not identify himself with the body and has no sense of ownership, finds true peace.”
The soul, as a result of the action of the false ego, ceases to feel like a soul.
The false ego is a special kind of translator between the spiritual and material world. It simply pulls all its consciousness out of the soul and directs it into matter.
Consciousness focused on matter turns into a subtle material element. Having gone through such a transformation, the consciousness, which has become material, becomes unable to sense the spiritual soul. Thus the soul, our true essence, becomes lost.
In the beginning, after leaving association with the Supreme Personality, we flirt with His illusory material energy. She invites us to play a little.
We play, flirt, and lose our true self. The false ego performs this function.
However, having lost our true self, we find ourselves in a very vulnerable position.
Our true nature: we are not only spiritual souls, but we are part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, subject to the spark of God.
We are the subservient parts and parcels of God. This is our position.
This brings us to the final aspect of our true self - our function.
The natural function of the living entity, the eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of God, is to lovingly serve God.
A living being needs spiritual food. This spiritual food is the taste of love for God. Creature experiences real happiness when his loving relationship with the Supreme Soul is restored. All the great saints have understood this fact and act based on it.
Your natural activity, your natural duty, your function in life is to love God. Not just sentimental, not just “feeling love,” but acting on that love. If you love someone, you strive to please him, you take actions for his sake. When you are in this world, you have to act in such a way as to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is not only your Father, but also your Friend.
Once you understand this, you will realize the purpose of your eternal life.
Therefore, achieving the perfection of love of God should be the goal of your life.
“Love does not mean repeating: “I love you, I love you.”
Love is what burns inside you, burns only for Him.
It's that longing that you can't even express.
When you are in love with someone, only the lover exists for you, everything else becomes meaningless.
When you are in love with God, it is the same feeling, only stronger.
Longing for God is the same as wanting a breath of air when you are under water and can no longer bear it. That's how much you should strive for the Divine.
It is not easy to strive for God as much in these times, but it is not impossible.
I have seen ordinary people with great love for God.
The only thing they want is to serve God and achieve Him.”
Sri Swami Vishwananda
We have the subtle body of prana, the subtle body of the mind, the subtle body of the mind, the gross body and the ego. A person's egoism can be false and it can be true.
FALSE EGO (concept: I, me, mine)
There are 2 main manifestations of selfishness:
A. live for myself (me)
B. live for those who are connected with me (mine)
Selfishness means that a person values himself more than others. This is the feeling of "I". If he appropriates everything, that is, he connects everything to himself, this means living for himself. We often consider our city better than another. This is also egoism, which means “mine”: my country, my city, my family, my friends. We value and respect all this more than: a foreign country, a foreign city, a strange family, foreign friends.
A person’s selfishness affects his vital energy, feelings, mind and spreads very deeply, right down to the mind. Therefore, it is very, very difficult to understand selfish tendencies in yourself. Only a truly humble person can do this.
Reluctance to work selflessly is a sign of the penetration of selfishness into life energy. A strong desire for acquisitions is a sign of the penetration of egoism into feelings. The constant desire to justify oneself and one’s views on life is a sign of the penetration of egoism into the mind. Pride in one's knowledge is a sign of the penetration of egoism into the mind.
TRUE EGO
According to the Vedas, true selfishness means living for others, doing everything without possessive motives, that is, not wanting anything for yourself, serving the people around you and God. This is true selfishness. It manifests itself only in a state when we have developed in ourselves good qualities character who are able to defeat selfishness in all areas of our lives.
The Vedas say that having conquered egoism in ourselves and become humble servants of God and His laws, in this case we are in pure consciousness. By the way, without developing Love for God, this state cannot be achieved. In other words, having true egoism, a person becomes selfless and he spontaneously wants to do something useful, he naturally lives for the benefit of everyone according to divine laws.
Only if he does this, then he has the right to consider himself a worthy person and his true egoism from such an understanding of things becomes completely satisfied. Now this is rare. Mostly everyone is just (unreasonably) happy with themselves, which is the most characteristic feature the influence of false egoism on the mind.
How to recognize the activity of false egoism in yourself?
We very often emphasize what is connected with us. What is connected to me personally, I emphasize more than if it concerned someone else.
Often this happens subconsciously. If, for example, someone complains about their problems, we often do not care as much about this as about our own. I always say something very important to myself, but when others say similar things, I don’t always want to listen - this is how false egoism works.
And today I want to talk about what a false ego is. And tell it without dry theory. This article will be filled clear examples from life.
Pride is a very unpleasant word, and many people loudly claim that they have no pride. And everyone definitely has a “false ego”. Only saints and enlightened ones can free themselves from it.
So what is a “false ego”?
In Vedic books and lectures, false ego is defined as the tendency of the soul identify oneself with the body. The soul is not the body. The false ego is opposed by the “true Self” - the awareness of oneself as a particle of God. And when we forget about our real nature, we can become greedy, envious, callous, resentful...
False ego is when I firmly believe that I am Natalya Pozdnyakova, and I am only interested in what is connected with Natalya Pozdnyakova. Only my children. Only my property. And if I see someone tearing other people’s flowers or trampling other people’s beds, I calmly pass by. If I see other people's children fighting, I calmly pass by. If I see a scammer stealing someone else’s phone... The false ego divides the world into friends and strangers. Draws the line: what concerns me and what doesn’t. It clings to its false self. Of course, this phenomenon has its own functions, without this ego we simply would not survive. And absolutely everyone has it. The only question is how strongly it is developed... And what are its manifestations.
Oleg Gennadievich Torsunov speaks well about this in the following video:
How to become aware of your ego?
The most striking negative manifestations of the ego are almost all of our conflicts. When we do not want to give in to our partner, knowing that we are right. When we are offended by someone. We get irritated. We are indignant, we take revenge. When we unconsciously calculate how much we have done for our spouse, and how much he has done for us.
Our ego also means indifference to the grief of others. Reluctance to strain to help others. And also - sensitivity to criticism, the desire to be loved, the desire to be liked.
This is when we divide people into ours and strangers. Rich and poor. Believers and non-believers. Russians and non-Russians.
What does attachment to the body have to do with it?
I once heard one apt phrase: if we really realized that we are mortal, then the vast majority of problems would instantly evaporate. If we realized that we are mortal, all conflicts would disappear. What's the point of wasting your energy trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong? After all, we will all die anyway. What's the point of grieving over lost money? We will die and still lose everything. And if the monetary losses are not so significant that they bring us closer to this death, then they do not matter. Awareness of your mortality allows you to look at the world more broadly. Makes it possible to understand what has some value and what does not.
It is no coincidence that in Buddhist traditions there are meditations on death. Newcomers are sent to a cemetery, where they spend a long time trying to understand their mortality. In Western traditions they like to give exercises from the series “the last day of my life, the last month, the year”... All these practices make it clear how to get rid of the false ego. Or at least reduce it (which is more realistic).
After all, theoretically, we all understand that life is not endless. But the internal feeling of the short duration of our life and connection with this body is absent. We can’t help ourselves, we continue to do stupid things, swear, and be offended. We are not saints.
Ego formation begins in early childhood. We can't prevent it. But when we become adults, we can remove everything that creates unnecessary disturbances in our lives.
Sometimes even laziness becomes one of the manifestations of our ego. Such laziness comes on when you need to do something for others. Help a friend move to new house. Take care of grandma's flowers. Go to a cleanup...
And one of the main tasks of a person is to try to expand his worldview. Try to see a little beyond your narrow interests. Develop . Learn sensitivity and love. To do this, it is not at all necessary to go to Buddhist monasteries. We are faced with opportunities for growth every day. Especially next to your family.
Once a friend gave me good advice. If you feel a surge of some kind of harmfulness, stubbornness, irritation within yourself (children don’t listen or your spouse hasn’t put away his things) - become aware of this feeling and say: “Hello, my false ego!” At this moment, you understand that the desire to scold the kids or throw out anger at your husband is not you. It exists separately from you. And you can choose whether to obey him or not. To be reasonable and happy or to be irritated and grumbling.
I hope you roughly understand what the concept of false ego includes. If the article was useful, share the link with your friends. And also subscribe to blog updates. See you again!
