REDUCING YOUR EGO: Understanding What The Ego Really Is.
The ego is a rat on the sinking ship of being
So said a quote I once read, but perhaps the biggest confusion people have who come to spirituality is wrestling with their ego.
The biggest misconception people have is that they think of the ego as negative, but if we look a little deeper it's the negative thoughts that plague it that cause the issue.
The way I like to define ego is that it's the part of your brain that gives you a sense of identity - a sense of 'me' if you like.
When you become rooted in deep meditation and the truth you'll find the chatter of your ego calm, and then you'll reach your true spiritual state. There is no longer a problem with the ego. It almost feels like we step outside ourselves for a few moments. We can see from a distance what the egos true purpose is - that its part of our physicality on this earth.
Happiness springs from within
What we need to do to embrace true happiness is to engage with all of our pure consciousness, and not just associate with the ego 24-7 - like most people do. When I look at some people in the supermarket, I can just tell they are stuck in the negative thinking of ego. There is no self awareness at all.
If we stop engaging in negative talk with the ego, our negative thoughts begin to lose their power. We then become rooted in a positive outlook, and we begin to see the ego for what it truly is. When you stop responding to the calls of your ego, you could call this a form of enlightenment.
But by not engaging in talk with the ego does not mean that we ignore it. We simply allow it to do its thing and monitor it like a cloud passing by in the sky. Some days I actually write down what the ego says on some issues and it really surprises me. Try it for yourself sometime with a pen and piece of paper.
We are all loved by life just the way we are, so self condemnation only ever works against us. We must allow the ego to become the slave of our lives, not the master of it. Only then will true freedom reign within.
Peace and love to all Steemians.
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I want to join that flamin' party my feathered friend :D
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 17 Verse 19
Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Great verse and so very true. It is part of the reason I distanced myself from nearly everyone in my life years ago and again recently as it seems most people simply don't get it. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
You might find it interesting that I found a copy of Bhagavad Gita during my travels two years ago when I was mostly living in the woods and visiting libraries many days practicing living much more freely.
The Bhagavad Gita is my favourite sacred Indian text. I've read it thrice and flicked through it hundreds of times. Gandhi said it was the only book you ever needed for this life!
Love it, so true. So you are into yoga too?
Yes Liza, I'm attending a yoga teacher training Ashram school in Chennai, India later this year ... after trips to Poland and Israel first! #globehunter :D
Nice!! tell me all about it afterwards. I started the yoga teacher training in Munich before I came here... maybe starting again. Here I gave some lessons in Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga to some of my friends ;) .. would love to go on with that and include it in my blog, too.
P.S. I thought this article might interest you :D
https://steemit.com/travel/@mindhunter/my-only-success-in-life-is-having-visited-more-countries-in-the-world-than-hillary-clinton-and-the-queen
Hatha yoga is my poison of choice :) Once you get really popular on here we should do a global @mindhunter - @lizanomadsoul meetup vid and article for Steemit :)) Now that would be mad one!
I still do not get why there is no #yoga yet... there must be a lot of people doing yoga here no? - yeah would be nice :D But india is planed for next year. We start in panama in august and then go south. After new years we start in Manila and do Asia.
This platform is so young being blockchain so the world is yours Liza. Go own that #yoga tag! I invented the #polskie tag for Poles and the #nuggetized tag for smaller articles. BTW goto Cebu Island - @fernwehninja lives there - she's a top lady and lives in the most beautiful part of the Phillipines - she'll look after you :)
Good to let the over ego go.
Written inside my 40th birthday card: BURN YOUR EGO :-)
P.S. [Insert your sinking rat ego here!]
He is Krishna ;-))
Good hunting :))
So you do the mantra? :-))) Haribol Namaste ^_^
Jai Shree Krishna :-)
Jaya Jaya Krishna Krishna Hare, I love hearing the Kirtan. Full of energy :D
Hare Krishna!!!
beautiful photo @mindhunter ;D What kind of yoga do you practice ? I wonder if you chant ^_^
I am a #hathayoga hunter - sometimes I chant, sometimes I don't :)
Well said.
Hello my spiritual friend @redhens :) Welcome to wherever you are.
I think my ego must be broken then.
I don't get the little voice telling me negative things.
If anything it says, what are you waiting for, let's do it!
Is there somewhere I can go to get it fixed? ;-)
All egos are not created equally - you lucky rascal @trevor.george :)
When people say someone has such a big ego.
In reality it is a person who has a lot of confidence within one self
Tbh we all express our own ego at some point each day
The opposite is also true. Sometimes I find introverts who have huge egos that are stubborn to change - these are the worst types IMHO!!
This is also true
Beware the silent ones. Still pools run deep!
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Thanks guys :)
Very informative and interesting post! Great picture! Thank you!
Hello friend @bugavi - I love the photo in this post. I'm glad you like it. I need to get over to your cat pic post that I saw earlier. I promise to get over to it now :)