Geez… I didn’t intend to go off on this tangent, but for some reason I keep getting private emails asking questions about this blog and meditation, so I guess I should at the very least attempt to answer them as best I can from my limited perspective.
Today I guess I’m going to tackle “ego.” Much has been written about ego in the past few years. Dr. Wayne Dyer did an entire segment on a PBS special about ego. He got it right, from my point of view, so if you have the opportunity to watch any one of his specials during the next PBS fundraiser season, invest the time. And, invest in PBS if you can.
Back to the ego. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it is written that ego is one of the hindrances to meditation. I believe I mentioned this in a previous post, but if you are new to the practice of meditation, take it slowly and don’t try to learn everything the first year. I have spent years studying the Yoga Sutras, and every time I read the book I learn something new. It is not an easy book. The lessons are involved and deep. This is not to say that one should never try to read the book. I believe it is essential… but not first. It can be overwhelming.
The basic concept is that “ego” separates you from One. The ego has boundaries. The ego is “I.” When one considers himself as more important or perhaps more special than another, that is ego separating him from the universe. It is assuming that the person, the ego, is not a part of the whole. The ego is independent of the Oneness of the Universe, or Atman. Atman is The Essence. Atman, is the Hindu word for Essence or God. Atman is not a being. Atman is energy, essence, everywhere, anywhere, all and One.
When a person is one with Atman or the universe, there is a natural energy flow that consumes the person and puts the person at one with the essence of the universe. When ego enters the picture, it is not One with the universe. Ego is one, alone, isolated from the natural flow of energy. Ego is contrary to the natural flow of life and before and beyond. Ego can be present in the here and now in the vessel of human life, but it does not transcend this life. Ego is limited. Essence is continuous with no beginning and no end. Essence flows from the universe into the human life and remains when the body is dead. Essence is the eternal you, one with the universe.
Now that everyone is entirely confused, let me address how ego interrupts daily life. When one thinks of the importance of his existence and sets it as more important than another, ego is interrupting the natural flow of the transition into the human form and the transition from the human life form. Ego has a beginning and an end. Ego can only pertain to life on earth in human form.
When a person allows the ego to guide his life’s actions, he thinks of himself first. He cares when people laugh at him. He is embarassed when he makes an error. He is proud when he triumphs over another. He is more important that the natural flow of energy that says we are all one. Ego does not want to be One. Ego wants to be the only one.
This is not to say that life, in the human form, should not strive to create and accomplish while on earth. It is to say that one should strive to create and accomplish with the whole of the universe in mind, not just the individual self. For those who practice Christianity, it is safe to say that ego separates the person from God. As Christians strive to be God-like, to accept the teachings of Jesus and to practice them, ego must dissolve. It cannot co-exist with the acceptance of the teachings of Christ.
Perhaps, the best example of “no ego” is that Jesus Christ, a human form, was willing to give up his life for the goodness of your life. If Jesus in his teachings had said that he was on his way somewhere and didn’t have time to heal the sick, that would have been ego at work. When we say that we don’t have time to help the less fortunate because our time is more important, our ego is really saying that it is more important than the life of another.
To enter into the Oneness, the object of meditation, one cannot set himself apart or above another. He must accept and understand in his heart and mind that we are One. When one man suffers, the entirety of humanity suffers. When we kill a man in war, we are killing a part of ourselves. Only ego, being separate from another life would allow us to take that life.
That said, and now that everyone is totally confused, I will suggest that the next time you are driving along the street and see someone in distress and you pass him by, your ego has spoken telling you that you are more important than the other life.
I am well aware that most of us live with ego ruling our days. We all believe we are more important than others. Otherwise, there would be no homeless and no hunger on the streets. That said, I learned a long time ago that I cannot change the world by helping a single person. But, as my father taught me. I am but one person. If I help two people and those two people each help two more and so on… eventually, the world will be in balance.
I offer that if, only once a week, you put another person ahead of yourself… not your kids or family… but a stranger, if you make life better for a single stranger you will feel the energy flowing within your human vessel that tells you that in the instant you are at One with the universe. Donate a couple of hours to a homeless shelter, or work at a community kitchen for one meal serving those who have no home, or visit a nursing home. Whatever you contribute that is not ego-centered will release the flow of Essence into and around you. You will be one step closer to being at One with the universe. Then, try meditation. Chances are you will find bliss.
