To really drop the ego, Do you think it is possible the ego may feed off the con

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   ajmahentposted 10 years ago

   To really drop the ego, Do you think it is possible the ego may feed off the concept of no ego?

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   Steel Engineerposted 10 years ago

   Of course this is possible. The ego can inflate itself with pride regardless of circumstance, reality, or others' opinions.

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   praveenniruposted 10 years ago

   According to human psychology ever human has ego inbuilt in him / her some express with positive attitude and some with negative attitude only thing is that we have to judge our self but  to really drop the ego or concept of no ego is not possible

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      But that's psychology's definition. Buddhist definition portrays ego as the false self.
      
      I've seen ego as the spiritual blindfold that drives us to need physical eyes to see and physical brain in order to think. But I've been outside of these.

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   Thomas Swanposted 10 years ago

   An interesting question. I would say yes, and it is probably the last refuge for the ego in someone who is trying to eliminate it. Once they stop feeling pride in the idea of having no pride, there is nothing left for it to feed on.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Great answer. But beyond getting rid of pride, try humility in every aspect of your life. Give with unconditional generosity, but also anonymously. Help in a way that the other person feels no burden of debt

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   PoeticPhilosophyposted 10 years ago

   I did it, but you're in a way right about the ego feeding off no ego. You get to a point where, you don't care about anything anymore. Because you have no ego, you have no motivation to get ahead. Basically.. You're stuck in a spot. This is why it's good to have some sort of a ego, like learning how to manage it. I learned that from personal experience. So if your thinking of going through the Buddhism discourse... I don't recommend it, unless your in a tough spot in your life.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Could that be a trick of ego?
      
      When I've been without ego, I had no problem moving ahead. There was no need or selfish hunger, but also no impediment or lack of drive.
      
      Ego is the lie. It is the blindfold over our spiritual eyes.

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   Tom Rubenoffposted 10 years ago

   Absolutely, the "I'm more ego-less than you" syndrome is widespread and almost undetectable to the victim.  The key to avoiding the influence of the ego is to become aware of its voice, observe whatever it says without judgement and then let it go.  This takes practice.  Meditation can help, but being present in the moment and aware of when the ego is judging others is most vital.  Judging others is one of the ego's favorite foods.

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   kittythedreamerposted 10 years ago

   Yes, absolutely! I've seen it happen with people who claim to be very spiritual people and that they are "throwing off their egos"...but merely having to announce this seems to me that it is their ego making these statements! Also if you have to say you are "enlightened", you definitely aren't. LOL Great question!

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   ParadigmEnactedposted 10 years ago

   You mean there's a duality? Ego is any and all things proclaimed by the self.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ego is duality -- all dichotomy. Ego is both perpetrator and victim, but not necessarily at the same time. Ego craves to be right and hurts when it is wrong.
      
      Ego is spiritual blindness.

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   Andre Sanchezposted 10 years ago

   The question is nonsense. You cannot drop the ego. The ego is your sense of "I". The only way to drop it is to die.

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      PoeticPhilosophyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry to use you. Why is this becoming a argument fest. "It means this, it means that". Obviously you's have no knowledge on it so stop.. Many Buddhists get rid of the ego, it's their main goal. All a ego is, is strive/selfishness/stubbornness etc.

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      Thomas Swanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed Poetic. Ego doesn't have a particularly clear definition, but it is commonly used to describe a person's source of pride, self-esteem, or self-importance, hence the term "you wounded his ego". It's pretty easy to see that context in the OP.

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      Andre Sanchezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ego has an extremely clear definition. It is identity. Your sense of "I". Your concept of who you are. You cannot drop the ego unless you die. The most you can do is make it nebulous, unclear, unfocused, something we automatically do when we sleep.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      There are lots of definitions for ego. In Buddhism, ego is the false self, the vulnerable source of selfishness and separateness. The true, spiritual self is immortal and invulnerable. What that self up, and ego disappears. I've been there.

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    joyce31202posted 10 years ago

    The ego being what it is can indeed feed off the concept of 'no ego'. If only to say that Ive successfully completed the task of having no ego. This is possible. One may feed off many attributes and abilities, dropping the ego is one of these.

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    IDONOposted 10 years ago

    I believe the inflation of ones ego is in exact line with the deflation of ones self esteem. This can only be reversed if one evaluates themselves with full honesty and learns exactly who and what they are. At that point, they can find a balance and move forward positively by having a defined starting point and knowing what their capabilities actually are. Simply put, they learn to walk the talk.
         We all have an ego and always will. We, as humans, crave positive feedback. It makes us feel good about ourselves. But the inflated ego creates feedback that is false. Only that person knows. Therefore, in their mind, they will always be beneath the person that they falsely portray.
         So, if you are what you are, you may not get rid of the ego, but you may find it is no longer necessary to feed it.

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    Tusitala Tomposted 10 years ago

    It seems from these answers that there is some dispute as to what the ego is.  Andre Sanchez say that the ego is the 'I am.'   Others refer to it as being a part of them but not the actual 'I am.'   I guess it depends upon what books you've been reading.  Freud's interpretation of the ego doesn't jell with, say, Roberto Assagioli's or perhaps Abraham Maslow's.  So we have some semantic problems here.  Most disputes occur from such misunderstandings.
    
    Old Guatama the Buddha said something along the lines, "Don't take my word for it; try it for yourself.' and this is what I've been endeavouring to do for around three decades now.  That is, trying to find out for myself what I am and what I am not.
    
    Here's a test you can easily do for yourself.  Determine to place your whole concentration on one thing for, say, five minutes.  Let's say you pick a vase or a picture or a door handle in the room.   Look at it and keep you ENTIRE attention on it.   Keep it up.  Try it.  Let's go easy on you.  We'll say two minutes.
    
    Chances are your mind will wander away.   You'll bring it back.  It will wander away again.   This wandering mind isn't you.  This is your ego.   You are the one endeavouring to WILL it to do your bidding.   
    
    Another way of putting it is to say that your ego is your self-image.  Note the word image.   It is an idea - or specifically, a conglommerate of ideas that have become sort of 'calcified' of what and who you are.  This conglommerate of ideas includes your abilities, your beliefs, your dreams and ambitions.   It is what gets hurt and what feels exchilliation.   It can change and is, continually changing.
    
    The unchangeable you; that which looks out and sees and experiences the world in every moment of your NOW, whether that NOW occured at two years of age or a eighty-two.  This is the 'I am.'  The Experiencer who is the Life Energy that you are.   It is everywhere.  But it needs a vehicle to further experience Itself.  Hence a body. Hence a mind operating through a brain.
    
    Well, that's what I currently believe.   I'm not saying it's true.  I am saying that I believe it is true.  There is a big difference.

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    Harishprasadposted 10 years ago

    To understand the term"ego", we must find it's meaning in the dictionary. It is defined as- self worth, self esteem, self importance etc. Now set aside ego fir a while and think about "self". What is self ? , if I do not go by the meaning given in any dictionary and understand it on the basis of my intellect, I assume the self as the whole existence of ourselves that is body, mind, heart and everything that exists as it is before us, we may also include in it an abstract idea that is soul. So a total sum of ourselves whether tangible or abstract is self. The spiritualists assume everything except  the "soul" as mortal and perishable and so reject it not a part of self. They rather treat the soul as self. The rationalists insist on treating the mind as self. So if we assume either soul or mind as self, there is no obstacle to proceed further from this point also. What happens when we add esteem, worth, importance to this pure "self", a degeneration of self takes place and the self transforms as "ego". you would observe that this whole transformation has been done by the self to the self. The real cause is the self because it has invited a guest to it's home itself. The self has adorned a wardrobe called esteem, importance, worth etc. And now it looks different in a similar manner as an actor put on different dresses and becomes a leader, joker, hero, heroine,teacher, robber and so on. Now what an actor does when he wants to be himself, he just sheds off the dresses and different make-up and this becomes as pure " He ". In a similar manner, the self has to shed off esteem, worth, importance imposed on it by itself and ego just disappears and the self becomes ego less and retains it's pureness once again. In a way, ego is a fictitious face of self but self itself in reality is self and nothing else. When the self learns to put on and shed off the different traits willingly, it becomes a real master and plays every game very skillfully. Then the self , soul or mind whatever you say to it, does not come under the false sway of any of the trait whether good or bad. In an impartial way, it watches itself by itself, observes itself by itself. It is a state when there is no actor any more because the self is aware that acting has ceased and it has to remain as it is. Your question is intriguing because as per your question ego may feed off the concept of no ego but you will realize that it is in fact the "self" which  is responsible for ego or no ego, ego is false.

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    PoeticFailosophyposted 10 years ago

    Sometimes the ego snacks on an eggo or an egg.

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    lone77starposted 10 years ago

    First, I think you have to define "ego."
    
    I don't use the Western psychological definition. I use more of the Buddhist sense of "false self," or source of selfishness and separateness.
    
    Ego is vulnerable. The true self (spiritual child of God, Holy Ghost) is not vulnerable.
    
    Using this viewpoint on "ego," I'd say "yes." Ego can use every trick to keep itself alive.
    
    The methods for getting rid of ego include utter humility, 100% responsibility, unconditional love, and perfect and fearless confidence.
    
    Ego can be vanquished by doing unselfish things -- unconditional generosity. Helping anonymously.
    
    My one extremely vivid out-of-body experience occurred right after a spiritual counselor asked me a question about generosity and helping others. That triggered me considering the viewpoint of being entirely unselfish. For a few brief moments, I lost my ego and gained spiritual "eyesight." I no longer needed a human brain in order to think, or human eyes in order to see. That was my first major miracle. And there were many more to come.

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