Mind the Ego

Tattvabodha is an introductory text for the study of Advaita Vedanta.  It is written by Sri Adi Sankaracharya. It outlines the basic concepts in a simple manner in a question and answer style.  Tattvabodha defines mind as a functional facet of one’s inner equipment, called anthakarana.  This anthakarana is a continuous flow of thought modifications called vrittis.  It has four facets. Mind, called manas, is one state where thoughts of doubt and indecisiveness prevail. Emotions also constitute the mind.  Intellect, called buddhi, is the second state where thoughts of decision and reasoning dominate. All knowledge arises in buddhi. Memory, called chitha, is the third state that acts as a storehouse of experiences as impressions from which flow thoughts of recollections. It is only on this basis of recollection that cognition takes place.  Ego, called Ahamkara is the fourth aspect associated with thoughts of doership that gives one individuality.  Ego is associated with all the other three facets as ‘I’ and ‘my’ factor.  Not only does it come into existence with each thought, it establishes a sense of ownership with them as ‘I doubt’, ‘I am happy’, ‘I decide’ ‘I know’ ‘I recollect’ etc.  This gives the ego a sense of constancy and a mistaken identity as one’s Real Self.

Ego is the mind-made self.  It is not present when mind is not present as in deep sleep.  Like mind it draws its strength from the past.  It takes its identity from personal and family history, educational accomplishments, social status, profession, possessions and group identifications like religious, racial, national, political, communal affiliations.  As an expression of self-esteem it is vulnerable and insecure and needs the reassurance of love and attention.  This it tries to achieve through control of the environs which leads to two type of fears: 
1) fear of losing control. This gives rise to a show of pride and arrogance which turns into anger, and all the negative qualities that flow from it, when thwarted in its attempts to control.
2) fear of being controlled. This leads to an emphasis on separateness as a measure of self-protection.  This also gives rise to guilt feelings that one is being ignored and one is not good enough to keep control etc. leading to depression.  This emphasis on separateness and superiority it considers as a show of individuality.
This mixture makes ego the basic cause behind most of one's sorrows and miseries. 

Sri Ramana Maharishi in his book “Updesa Saar” in verse 18 says
“Mind is thought-forms and the thought-forms are but dependant on the I-thought, ego. So know the mind to be ego.” He goes on to say in subsequent verses that if you enquire into the source of this I-thought, this I-thought, being only a phanthom self will disappear revealing the ever-shining self-evident Real Self, Athma.  But this enquiry is not easy because the enquiry is to be done with the aid of ego-dominated mind and it will employ all tricks and deceit to divert one from what is a suicidal course for it. That is why Vedanta emphasises Guru guided sastra vichara for self-enquiry which is only this ego vichara.  One may wonder why one needs external sources for looking into one’s self.  This is like looking into a mirror to look at your face for no amount of effort on your part will help you look at your face directly without the external aid.  This vichara can give one the knowledge that the I, one is using for everyday transactions and which he considers as his true Self is not the Real Self. This knowledge will remain at the belief level only, unless it is constantly practised to remind oneself that this I-thought is only a tool used for the limited purpose of everyday transactions with the external world and the Real Self is the infinite, changeless Supreme Brahman subject to no restrictions of space or constrictions of time. Then one will not be affected by any comments, praise or blame, from others for they are only directed at the limited I with name and form, past and future.  One will be living as it were taking nothing personally, with love and peace for one and all.  This is also the second of the four agreements of Toltec  wisdom/philosophy stated by Don Miguel Ruiz in his book “Four Agreements”, which runs as “Don’t take anything personally”.

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“I”, Real and imposter

Kenopanishad opens with a question by an unnamed sishya who wants to know what is the divine power that makes the eyes see, ears hear, tongue speak, prana function and mind coordinate the sense functions.  To this the Guru, who is also not named replies that it is the divine Power that can be termed as the Mind of the mind, Eye of the eye, Ear of the ear, Tongue of the tongue and Prana of prana (capital letters are used to distinguish the Power from the other). He later goes on to add that whether it is the tongue, ears, eyes, prana or mind they all owe their function to the Grace of this Power, but this Power is beyond their orbit of perception. This Power we can also define as the “I” of the I, the ego, in the sense that it is the Power’s grace that lets the ego exist, boasting about its possessions, profession, position etc. Maybe the Guru, would have added this also had the sishya asked “What is the divine Power that makes the I feel it is same even when the body, mind and intellect changes from childhood to old age through youth and middle age and does not go to sleep even when the body, mind and intellect goes to sleep in sushupthi, deep sleep state, every day.

 

In fact this ego makes its appearance only a little later after birth.  I remember my grandson telling in his childhood days “ vadigi kavala” in telugu, meaning “he wants”, whenever he wants something.  Years ago there was a little boy near my brother’s apartment, who used to say “ Sethumadhavan wants” whenever he wants something, Sethumadhavan being his name.  Once this ego appears it takes over and thereafter I, I, I and my, my, my dominates one’s life story. And this I with the added name to distinguish it from other I’s becomes our identity badge, giving us individuality, our c.v. personality.  Thereafter the ego masquerades as the self, donning the mantle of I, displacing the Power, referred to also as Brahman, Being, God and so on, which only is one’s real Self.  And this ego is the imposter I.  

 

"Ego is an acronym for Edge God Out", Burt Harding says, for with ego displacing the Real I, God is sought only for getting something for this pseudo I or for consolidating something that is its my.  Ego is only a facet of the mind when it identifies itself with doership and enjoyership, and one cannot find true peace and real happiness so long as one stays in the mistaken belief that ego is one’s real Self.  That is why Sri Ramana Maharishi used to ask any person who goes to him with the story that he is troubled or distressed, to enquire who is it that says I am troubled or distressed.  For in these statements “I am distressed”. “I am troubled” the I that is employed is only the pseudo I, the ego and not the real I, our true Self that is beyond sorrow and happiness, knowledge and ignorance, being itself Sat Chit Ananda. 

 

Our real Self is the Consciousness, which is the same in every person, while the egos are many as the minds are many. Erwin Schrodinger , the famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner, echoes this idea when he says in his book “What is Life” that Consciousness is singular of which the plural is unknown and that there is only one thing.  Consciousness is only one and it manifests as many in the minds as It makes them sentient as one electricity manifests as many glowing filaments in different lights.  The one who realizes his Real self realizes this Oneness.  Of this person who has realized the Oneness, Isavasya upanishad says in mantra 6 that there is no delusion or sorrow for him. This realized person, who sees Oneness in all, sees as a corollary himself in others and others in himself. And so this person, as the same upanishad says in Mantra 5, has no hatred for others. So this discovery of “who am I” will not only help to rid one of delusions, depressions and personal unhappiness, but collectively can bring in universal peace in a strife-torn and hate-filled world.  So the right message for all-round peace and happiness in the world at any time, be it Christmas, New Year or any other occasion will be “Discover your Real Self, the Oneness in yourself and the same Oneness in your neighbors as well and don’t be misled by the imposter into building walls of separation and hatred between yourself and your neighbors” 

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