In our recent post – Who Am I? We looked at the idea of transcending the ego.
However, as a reader pointed out – is it not better to understand the ego from a peaceful perspective rather than abolishing the ego?
I would suggest that to transcend the ego completely is a very lofty goal; and in practice very difficult. It is one thing to say ‘I will transcend all concept of ego’, but, to do it is a completely different matter.
In the beginning we need to be wise and deal with our present limitations. We should not expect to transcend our ego with a few meditations; it is like thinking about doing a master’s course whilst we are still in primary school. To graduate with a Master’s degree we need to go through all the levels of schooling before we can even begin to start our Master’s course. It is the same with spirituality. Just thinking of the idea of Nirvana doesn’t really help, because it is so far from our present stage of evolution. What we can do is to gradually change our nature. We can gradually become less selfish, materialistic and inward looking. We can consider the needs of others and try to expand our consciousness. If we can develop humility, simplicity and selflessness, then slowly we will transform our nature. Rather than trying to completely transcend the ego; we make the ego less selfish. This is an effective way to make progress. When we work on our ego, there will come a point in the future, when we can make the leap to transcending the ego.
Dealing With Conflicts in Relationships
A strong ego can often cause conflicts in relationships. In this guest post at Pick The Brain,– How To Deal with Conflicts in Relationships I looked at a few strategies to improve our relationships with others.
How to Reduce the Ego – Another post looking at how to reduce the ego.
Picture courtesy of Australian World Harmony Run 2008
I have found that partnering with the ego can be much more helpful in moving towards that peaceful place than trying to eradicate it entirely.
There’s a lot of reasons for this, but the most fundamental is that we have to understand, accept, and ultimately know that our ego truly does what it thinks is best for us… it acts out of love (even if it doesn’t always ‘sound’ loving)
I talk a lot about this in a recent audio interview with regards to working with our “inner critic”:
http://www.WritingForSpiritualGrowth.com/interview
I agree with Chris – our ego is a necessary and helpful part of us. Without ego and mind, it would be very difficult for us to function here in the physical world.
The ego is a wonderful tool. The problem is that for many, it has become the master. Our work really is to allow our Higher Self, our spirit, to become the master once again.
Blessings,
Andrea