Ego Ego is seperative consciousness.

The Underlying Nature of Ego Based on what I have learned over the years about Ego, including Karmayogi's view, and what is explained in later chapters of The Life Divine, here are some further thoughts on the underlying nature of ego. Ego is of the lower consciousness. Ego is an effect of the bedrock of inconscience (unconsciousness) that is there in matter. (Matter is the ultimate division, in which virtually all consciousness is lost in order to separate even down to atomic existence.) As a body, we are separate from other bodies, and thus express the inconscience of matter. It expresses through ego -- physical, vital, and mental. Ego inherits the separativeness of the body, which dumbly only knows its own separate existence. Ego is seperative consciousness (vs. harmonic), cutting us off from the world and others. Ego asserts one's own self at the expense of others; therefore, it is seperative. Ego's separateness gives support to the exclusivity of Mind. Mind tends to embrace one truth at the expense of all others. In ego, separativeness occurs, which makes the Mind more exclusive, holding on to my truth vs. the multiplicity of truths of a thing. Ego causes mind to see the Part rather than the Whole. Ego thus reinforces our Ignorance. Thinking and acting along one line that ego props up can lead to Falsehood (enjoying Ignorance) and Evil (acting on Ignorance). Ego is selfishness, as opposed to selflessness and self-givingness. Ego attracts negative circumstance. Through deeper consciousness, we shed ego and develop oneness with the world outside ourselves. When we reach our true selves, our souls, the psychic being ego evaporates, separativeness disappears, and the mind becomes intuitive and more open to infinite possibilities. Moving from ego to non-ego and oneness attracts positive conditions from life. Moving out of ego, we experience synchronicity, intuition, peace, energy, creativity, knowledge, truth, success, love, oneness, infinity, timelessness, spacelessness, and joy. Formula for the End of the Reign of Ego Ego is the expression of separateness from the world around us. It is a vital movement in which we put our own concerns above those of others. Ego is in fact an outgrowth of the very fact that we are separate, individual physical beings divided materially from what is outside us. That separation is broadened through our mentality which tends to focus us on those things that support own interests and concerns above those of others. Ego is thus a plunge into unconsciousness of separation that has lost the inherent Oneness and Unity of being. Is there then a way to overcome this limiting aspect of our nature so that we can forge more harmonic relationships with others and the world around us? It would seem that Ego can disappear through several movements on our part. First we can open to the spiritual Force on a regular basis; which will tend to replace our sense of separateness with that Higher Consciousness. By opening to the descending Higher Power, it becomes the leader of our being, replacing the Egos usual place in the forefront. The more we open to the Force, the we more sense that the Spirit will bring the right things and lead us in the right direction; and the less we are inclined to insists on our own inclinations, positions, opinions, and preferences. Using the power of the Divine, our Ego dissolves, and we move with the right flow of Life that the Force is enabling for us. Another way of overcoming Ego is by making the effort to move the center of our awareness away from the surface of life -- where we are absorbed with the inputs of the senses -- and instead forge a link with our Inner Being. From that poise within we experience an acute stillness and quietude, as we are able to peacefully look out on the world as silent witness to lifes unfoldings. As a result, we lose our exclusive identification with self; with that sense of separation from others and the world; and instead feel and experience a deep connection with life. The result is that instead of being absorbed in our own self-interests that

lead to selfishness, we have harmonic thoughts and feelings with all and everything around us. A third approach to overcoming Ego is to simply examine our own selves and determine when we expressing that lower consciousness, and then make the concerted effort to overcome it. It will be there in our fixed habits, in our wanting attitudes, and in our one sided, narrow opinions and beliefs. If we become aware of when our Ego is in ascendance, and catch it when it occurs, then we will also shift from our separateness to a wideness of being that is open, tolerant, embracing, perceptive, and harmonic. This final approach is an eminently practical antidote to the virulence of Ego. For example, one man went through a process of introspection and discovered that: (a) he was too eager to express his opinions: (b) was too absorbed in himself when having discussions with others; (c) was too willing to take rather than give in mutual relations; and (d) was obsessed with his own career, rarely showing interest in the success and well being of others. Together these three approaches -- opening to the Divine Force, moving the locus of our consciousness to our deepest depths, and taking inventory of our selfish parts and consciously overcoming them -- are a formidable way to end the reign of Ego. Moreover, these approaches are not mutually exclusive; for we know e.g. that constant consecration of circumstance increasingly forges a link into our inner being, where Ego has no power. Thus, the more we offer the activities of our life to the Force, the more that Power penetrates our being, enabling us to more easily enter the deepest, stiller parts of ourselves, Our True Selves, from where we feel a deep Oneness and Unity with all existence. Likewise, the more we develop an Inner Life, the more often we will tend to offer circumstance and activities to the Higher Power, and therefore the more we will perceive and aspire to overcome our egotistic and selfish propensities. In combination, the reign of limited Self and Ego is progressively replaced by a sense of Other, where we forge deep harmonic relationships with the world outside ourselves. Ways to Overcome Ego I can reverse my identification with ego by becoming unselfish and regarding all other persons as I regard myself. When I hear you got a promotion, I should feel happy for you instead of feeling jealous. Instead of giving supreme importance to my needs, my priorities, my preferences, my skills, my accomplishments, I can recognize that other people are as important as I am in the scheme of things. All of the normal movements of the ego that make me more and more separated and isolated can be reversed. I can become selfless, generous, a source of endless goodwill for others. Source of Ego: The Separation from the Oneness with the Creator The whole error of the tradition is to think of man as different from creator, the Brahman. They are one. When man thinks of himself as separate from the Creator, ego is born and all that comes with it, especially the sense of powerlessness. To KNOW that we are THAT and we create our own world is a liberating knowledge. Life Response and Ego (2 examples) Example of Taking to Ego -- i love cooking and serving others with different dishes. i was preparing a very simple dish after my marriage. my mother in law was interfering with the preparation at the start. My ego was to the peak that it did not allow to accept the suggestion and the taste of the dish carried the soreness of my Ego. after she returned to India when i tried the same dish with her suggestion the taste was wonderful. Example of Moving Away form Ego -- Amidst a busy meeting, office boy was peeping to tell something. The Ego of the managers was blocking to hear his suggestion. But the Branch Manager used to mingle with even the last labourer. he listened to him and the suggestion was to keep a brochure highlighting the product in short with contact numbers in the particular company staff's car wipers. the results were unbelievable. in the suggestion column almost all the persons who have applied for the product have ticked that they know the product from the brochures kept in car. In Consciousness, if we watch ourselves, if we are egoistic towards someone, we will be living in a separate world full of unreal predictions. If we take a

transformation to change in, the outside world will respond through this transformation in tremendous way. Two Steps of Yoga The first step is to consecrate, next is to remove ego. Miscellaneous Thoughts on Ego The ego acts like a straight-jacket imprisoning us within our small personal existence, cut off from the world around us. The ego is the sense of being a separate person isolated from the universe. Ego has played a very important role in the evolution of humanity from the physically unconscious animal to the mentally self-conscious individual. Now humanity is at the stage where ego has become a bar for further progress. To overcome ego, shift away from the surface to a deeper center of consciousness inside which is in harmony with the universe around. The ego is full of desire, impatience and discontent. Causes and Nature of, and Overcoming Ego -Ego divides us from the Oneness of life -The separative material consciousness is the source of ego. -Because we were born separate forms, ego came into play. -Ego supports our sense of separateness -- from others, and the world around us. -Ego contributes to our Ignorance because it supports our tendency to take a limited view -- i.e. the part --and believe it is the Whole. -Connecting to our deeper consciousness within, reconnects us to the Oneness of life, dissolve ego, and in turn helps overcome our sense of separateness, and begins to break the limitations of our inborn ignorance. The Way Out of Ego Some people object to "The Secret" on moralistic grounds that it caters to narrow, selfish materialistic motives. Surely, they say, this cannot be the aim of the universe. Why should the universal force lend itself to such petty purposes? There is a truth in this view, but it is a partial truth. The truth is that the universe acts to fulfill our aspirations only in the measure we open ourselves to the power of the universe. That is what "The Secret" means by alignment. The ego acts like a straight-jacket imprisoning us within our small personal existence, cut off from the world around us. The universe is an infinite energy. But it can enter our lives only in the measure we relate to something beyond our narrow boundaries. All of the methods advocated by "The Secret" are intended to help us escape from the confines of ego, even if it is done for a selfish personal motive. When a person earning $8000 a year conceives and aspires to earn $100,000, he is overcoming the narrow boundaries of his present existence, expanding beyond his limiting ego, even if he appears to be acting purely for personal, selfish motives. Therefore, the universe responds. In common parlance we use the term ego to refer to someone who is self-centered, ambitious and self-important. But the ego is present in all of us, even those whose behavior exhibits the very opposite of these characteristics. A person who doubts their own capacity or self-worth, who feels it is wrong to aspire or assert, who feels other people are far more important and deserving is also living well within the bounds of the ego. Only in this case the ego feels weak, helpless and insignificant instead of strong, capable and important. The ego is the sense of being a separate person isolated from the universe. The power comes from giving up the sense of separation. In order for the universe to act in our lives, we have to rise above the constraints placed on us by the ego sense and realize in one way or another that we are much greater than our present being - in fact, our true Self is infinite and one with all - and we have much greater potential than what we have achieved till now. The aggressive entrepreneur who seeks to earn more and more money is really trying to exceed the limiting boundaries of his ego, albeit for selfish purposes, just the way the star athlete aspires to break new records and reach the top spot. Striving for higher accomplishment that far exceeds our present level of achievement is an expansive movement that helps us reach beyond the

confines of the ego. Ego has played a very important role in the evolution of humanity from the physically unconscious animal to the mentally self-conscious individual. Now humanity is at the stage where ego has become a bar for further progress. The methods of cheerfulness, faith and gratitude advocated in "The Secret" are all methods designed to help us shift away from the ego. It is very difficult for the ego to remain always cheerful, because so many things happen in and around us that are not to our liking. To remain always cheerful is to shift away from the surface ego to a deeper center of consciousness inside which is in harmony with the universe around. To generate such a powerful faith that we feel now how we would feel after achieving the goal we aspire for is also a means to move away from the ego. The ego is full of desire, impatience and discontent. To feel fulfilled now means to reject these disturbing influences of the ego. Gratitude is very powerful because it makes us stop thinking about ourselves and what we want and concentrate instead on what life and other people have already given us. The advocacy of these three spiritual methods shows that "The Secret" is really founded on spiritual insight. Overcoming Ego Movements Watch yourself when you are making the effort to a higher consciousness at a meeting or social gathering; your ego will bull through the proceedings and try to assert. It is a poison that tries to mingle with one's inner life, tingeing your relationship with the outer crowd. It's influence can begin to be overcome by a movement within away from surface living, and be permanently overcome by a concerted effort to find one's personal evolving soul within. Overcoming Ego through Deeper Consciousness Silencing the mind and other means of developing an inward orientation helps overcome ego. Moving to the depths of the soul eliminates it. There there is no sense of separateness, as we perceive our unity with all other things and beings Ego, Time, and Mind The spiritually evolved individual lives not in ego, nor in time, nor in mind. You can easily determine if you are that individual by following this recipe: Observe yourself; your thoughts, feelings, actions, reactions, and (1) see if you are making selfish, egoistic movements (that's easy, we're doing it all the time); (2) see if you are living in time, i.e. you are thinking about the past and the future, e.g. when you worry and fear or regret something that occurred long ago; or (3) if you are seeing only one part, not the whole of the thing, and holding onto to that piece of the puzzle, exclusively believing it is the entire puzzle. You will find that as you become aware of your negative propensities of ego, time, and mind, the foundation on which human life exists -- Ignorance and Falsehood -- will begin to reveal itself to you. Fortunately, we have the choice to reverse our limited inheritance, by choosing to embody oneness, timelessness, and spirit in all aspects of our lives. Absence of Ego and Accomplishment For whatever motive, the absence of ego is a powerful impetus for progress. People level off at the level of their self-importance. From the Liberty of Ego to the Infinite Power of Self-Restraint One of lifes blessings is that we are endowed with full freedom to act. Thus, Human Choice, not fate, nor karma can ultimately determine events. Yet if we were to look closely, we would see that three quarters of our actions are based on ego movements; on initiatives that are wholly self-serving. Sri Karmayogi calls this the Liberty of ego. We have the freedom of choice to determine the outcomes of life, but we abuse it through self-absorbed initiatives based on urge, compulsion, or other willful action that are self-aggrandizing. These in turn do not garner lifes cooperation, but their opposite, attracting negative conditions back to us. Yet if in these instances we simply restrained ourselves and held back our action, life would constantly conspire in our favor. In Jane Austins

Pride and Prejudice, like most great literature, we see several examples of this phenomenon. One is Mrs. Gardners restraint in speaking to Eliza about Darcy at a particularly sensitive moment. Rather than raise the issue, she shows sensitivity and refrains from expressing her thoughts in deference to Elizas difficult relationship with Darcy. She in essence avoids an ego movement, moving outward to embrace the concerns and interests of another person. As a result, life supports her non-initiative when soon after Darcy and Eliza come to an understanding, fall in love and marry -- bringing great happiness to the couple, while energizing both families to no end. Life has responded to Mrs. Gardeners non-egoistic restraint. On the other hand, Elizas mother Mrs. Bennet has no personal control; is constantly acting from selfinterest and self-concern. Because she lacks restraint, her unflagging initiating and meddling continually backfires on her and her family. If only she stood back, looked outward from within, and restrained herself, life would have quickly brought her everything she hoped for -- including the marriage of her daughters to prosperous young bachelors, and without the travail and pain the family was forced to suffer through. Instead, her ego-oriented initiatives almost lead to its ruination. It turns out that she is just an exaggerated version of every one of us. We too subconsciously engage in acts that serve our ego. If we could catch ourselves and suspend such actions, we would conserve energy, which would in turn attract positive conditions. Practically speaking, each time we feel the urge to send a note, or forward a picture, or speak to a friend or colleague, we should ask ourselves whether this is a wholesome, fully positive activity, or is it being undertaken to tickle our ego; for the purpose of self-aggrandizement? E.g., are we tacitly seeking the approval of others? Are we hastily reacting and trying to assert our opinion? Are we looking to express our contempt for another in a backhanded way? Are we selfishly trying to gain benefit? And so forth, ad infinitum. If ego, self-aggrandizement, and selfishness is in any way behind our intention, we should refrain from acting. We will avoid the negative, while attracting the very best of conditions. When we restrain ourselves this way, we build up positive energies that align with the very best corresponding conditions in the world. We essentially move from the local, ego plane to the universal, where our hopes and dreams are fulfilled. Considering that three quarters of our actions consciously or unconsciously issue from the ego motive, it would be well worth examining every action we take to determine whether or not our intent is wholesome. If we avoid initiating when ego is present, we can avoid difficulties, while attracting startling positive results. Ultimately, we can move toward the elimination of ego itself. That takes resolve, usually reserved for those who are on willing to follow a path of conscious evolution -- i.e. yoga in the East. To dissolve ego, one begins by moving away from the surface of life, where our consciousness is seperative, and find a still and silent soul space within. From there our intentions tend to be in harmony with the world outside ourselves. From there, there is little need to initiate or take action, as what we aspire for tends to rapidly come to fruition. Coming out of Ego as First Step of Conscious Evolution Each of us are capable of overcoming one solitary deficiency in our nature: perhaps a wanting attitude toward someone, or a restrictive habit, or a mistaken belief. That in itself would guarantee continuous progress in life, as life will respond to that inner effort. At any time, we can also open to the spiritual Force, which will continually bring lifes conditions under our control. If we follow these two methods, we would live ecstatic, happy, productive -- even magical -- lives. However, we can go a step further and embark on an even greater journey. We can dedicate ourselves to a life of conscious evolution, with the purpose of evolving our nature to our highest possibility and potential. It would be a journey from our current status to our ultimate human and spiritual potential. If we are interested in such an undertaking, how would we begin? The first major step of conscious evolution is to make the effort to come out of ego -- which is the main bar to discovering our higher nature. Doing so would enable us to overcome our current sense of separateness that divides us from others and life. It would shift our center of awareness from our own concerns, our incessant,

oblivious self-regard and selfishness, to a deeper state of connection and commonality of purpose with others and life. It would be the decisive step that would take us to the frontiers of our higher nature; opening the doors to an entirely New Way of Living. How then does one come out of the ego-sense, this very human tendency to focus on one's own needs and concerns, at the expense of others, and the true unfoldings of the world around us? We do that by moving our center of consciousness away from the surface of life and into the depths within. There we discover a stillness and silence that engenders a level of awareness and mindfulness of the flow of life, of the truths unfolding, and the needs and concerns of those around us. As we move away from the surface bubblings, the visual and auditory stimuli of the senses that pours in through our senses, we discover a deeper poise within, a stillness that aligns us more tightly with the rest of the world. As a result, our sense of separateness and hence our selfcenterdness and ego begins to dissolve. There is no bottom to the depths within, as there is no limit to how we can connect to, align with, and meld with the world around us. Behind the calm and silence we experience, there is a deeper Subliminal being that sends up its positive influences to the surface. Anyone who has ever experienced that sudden thought that warns us of what action to avoid, or what course to take in a cross-roads moment, has known the influence of that Inner Guide. Deeper still we discover our True Selves, our personal evolving Soul within. There we discover our highest nature and being; that which illuminates our deepest purpose in life; that which connects us to the transcendent spirit; that which binds us to all around us, and to the unfoldings of life. Love, harmony, oneness, and bliss issue from there. As we continually move to the deeper parts of our being -- from silence and stillness to the Inner Guidance of the subliminal to our Evolving Souls within -- our seperative ego consciousness gives way, and our true nature blossoms. At that point we will a have made the decisive change that takes us from our old nature to a new super-nature. At that point we are well on our way of personal progress and our own conscious evolution. Ego-Sense and Limited Mental View Listen to yourself the next time you are having a conversation. Are you saying what you are saying because it is the known truth, or because you are attached to it, are falsely energized by it, satisfying your ego-sense which is separative and selfish? At any point you can catch yourself and begin again on a firmer footing of openness and truth, or better yet, silence. The Illusion of the Separate Self "The illusion a man cherishes above all others is the illusion of having a separate self which is apart from the whole of life. To perpetuate this illusion, he fights, for fighting appears to create a separate self, a self with an opposite, an enemy." (The Daily Guru) Utility of Ego in the Evolutionary Process Q: Does ego have its place in the evolutionary process? A: Ego serves a great purpose, as it is the first form of distinctiveness of the personality out of the Inconscience of materiality -- i.e. matter. It is the first way we demonstrate a modicum of individuality that distinguishes us from others. However, it is rooted in the unconsciousness that we inherit from our unconscious material beginnings. Thus, ego which creates individual identity is also seperative -- i.e. it has lost connection and identity with "Other" -- including the world around us, including the people and the Higher Reality. When we move to a deeper poise within, down to the evolving soul, we overcome our sense of separativeness and thus ego. Overcoming ego enables Oneness, Unity, Knowledge, Love, Delight, etc.; all spiritual qualities of life. With ego, we experience their opposite. As Sri Aurobindo explains, in the process of the involution from a Divine Source to a manifest universe, the Divine hid itself for the purpose of its discovery when we humans realize our higher nature. The first step out of this nescience of creation is to perceive our uniqueness apart others, which is to establish the beginnings of our own identity. This is ego, which is a self-absorbed consciousness that is in

large part false, but a first step towards our True Self and higher nature. Thus, we can therefore say that the Divine sanctions ego so that we can outgrow it on the way to our Higher Nature. Ego Movement Attracts Difficulty; Cancels Further Success A man was on a major quiz show on American television. He had just answered the first half dozen or so questions correctly, and had earned $30,000. So far the questions had been easy to hard, yet fortunately he had knowledge in all of the areas addressed. The host then asked the contestant if he would like to hold his check, a question the host had asked before and which the contestant refused. This time the guest accepted, and admired the check. The next question, which would ordinarily not be too much more difficult than the previous question, turned out to be one outside of the guest's knowledge area. The guest didn't give the proper response, and was at that point eliminated from the show. Comments: Negative Life Response. Example of how a negative ego movement can attract negative circumstance to life. Ego movement, i.e. negative vital attitude, attracts a difficulty that prevents him from gaining money (which is mostly vital). Subtle plane response. Ego Being Wanting Itself Destroyed A time comes when the most developed EGO wants to destroy itself and it cannot. At those moments, it seeks out the strongest force known and provokes it until it swings into action. The fully developed Ego is subconsciously aware that it has to be destroyed at this point. There is no mechanism of self-destruction available to him. Such a subconscious knowledge leads him to the sources of greatest power to consciously provoke them into direct action. The First Yogic Realisation: to Dissolve the Ego, that the Divine Alone Acts God executes his Will in the world through the instrumentation of the individual MAN. Sri Aurobindo says Shakti acts and She alone acts. Man is a mere instrument, a channel. Creative personalities create unique products, but their theme is social, what all society happily receives and endorses. A writer feels that what he writes is his OWN thought. Yoga says thoughts are not ours, they are universal and they pass through our minds. With that Realisation, ego dissolves and disappears. To dissolve our ego is the sadhana [the practice of yoga]. It never occurs to us that God can live our lives better than we can. What stands in the way is ego. To dissolve the ego, to be aware that He alone acts, is the First Yogic Realisation. Origins and Purpose of Ego The ego is created for the growth of life from matter. Its special duty is to centralise actions and postpone unity, a deliberate move, deliberately done in pursuit of delight. Ego is necessary for involution. To overcome ego is also necessary for evolution. Existence not merely concealed itself as non-existence but created the separate ego into which it fortified its concealment. Hence the secret of existence now is to exceed the ego. There are two realities, the Spirit and the ego. Initially Spirit became the ego; now it is time for the ego to become Spirit. The finite that stands in the way of the Infinite is Ego. Man is capable of identifying with the Ego or coming out of it and seeing the ego from outside. Man's enjoyment of his identification with the ego is the taste of Ignorance the Spirit sought. Forms Ego Takes The most crude expressions of ego are arrogant stupidity and violence. Pride and assertion are its less violent forms. Competition and jealousy are its vital forms. Prejudice and opinion are its

mental forms. The ultimate weapons of ego are selfishness, desire and pride. The weaker expressions of them are insecurity, greed and vanity Overcoming Ego An impossible but an easy method is to convince the ego to pray for its dissolution. Ego is created by insincerity, i.e. separation. To make the ego sincere is to knock its bottom out. A sincere acceptance by the ego of its dissolution is indicated by a flash of opening extending to infinity. When you call Mother, the ego recedes. Better than calling Mother to solve our problems, we can call Her to dissolve our ego. To break out of ego, one must find the other as part of his own being and himself as part of God. Pain itself is a device for the ego to quickly outgrow it. To destroy ego externally is revolution. To destroy ego from inside is evolution. Evolution of ego's dissolution is transformated. Experience of Dissolution of Ego/Non-Ego Man possesses his world and the things in it as the property of his Ego. He will be possessed by God and all HIS possessions when he sheds his Ego. It is a spiritually revealing decisive moment in one's life when the surrender is accepted by his being. Ego being the force of Nature separating her from the soul of nature -- the psychic being -- its dissolution reveals the psychic. When the ego dissolves, the individual is universalised. The moment ego gives way, the psychic emerges. When ego disappears, the immutable self is reached. Egolessness can be seen if one is capable of no sorrow or disappointment. The Structure of Ego The power the ego has is the power of its own organisation, not the power of the being or the power of Consciousness Other Thoughts on Ego Selfishness and ego look similar. While selfishness is an attitude, ego is a centralising force. The central knot of HIS [Sri Aurobindo's] yoga is ego. Altruism is Egoistic -One of Sri Aurobindo's themes -- "Altruism is egoistic" is developed by me very much to the annoyance of very many. It is a GREAT theme which our tradition knows. "One cannot alter another's Karma. If he can, he should not." A soul has come on earth to have a certain experience. One who has revelled in riches and reached its acme, the tradition says, desires to enjoy poverty. So, he is born poor. If circumstances come his way to lead him away from poverty, disease, etc. he goes back to his original poverty by choice. That is Karma. Great souls say "This is your Karma. I cannot do anything." He has an option before him to come out of his Karma, if he chooses himself to emerge out of it. -The West had developed the fad of service, of helping the poor. There is no ideal that activates the Westerner as service does. That is why Teresa was given the Nobel Prize for running a free hospital. It has a great attraction to the human mind. Sri Aurobindo says it is egoistic. -The recipient of help never fails to hurt. -Trouble comes to one ONLY from those he has helped, apart from his own folly. -The very first WORD the beneficiary speaks is "I don't like". - Scarlett in Gone with the Wind wanted the convicts to be better fed and she gave food for that. Directly she was attacked on her way back home.

Personal and Spiritual Values in Work It all comes down to personal values. Is the purpose of the work to improve life or to assuage one's ego? For most people, it is some combination of the two - i.e. wholesome values plus ego. To serve purely based on values is rare indeed. To serve the Divine in one in a million, if that. To serve Him purely involves a handful on earth. Also See Thoughts on Ignorance and Reestablishing Integral Knowledge To Be Categorized Overcoming Ego Overcoming Ego No Matter Our Consciousness Ego is there even for the most elevated in consciousness. Sometimes they are the most susceptible. We all need to be vigilant, no matter what our level of personal and spiritual growth. Levels Beyond Ego Levels of Fulfilling Our Purpose in Life One level of personal fulfillment is to follow the path of one's lower, Ego self. Seeking money, power, and success for their own sake is its hallmark. Higher still is to embrace the conditions that Nature has put before you. It is to happily accept the givens of Life and thereby grow in the process. Highest of all is to Surrender to the Divine, the Divine Mother, and embrace what She asks of you to do through everyday conditions. It is a life of wonder, and utter joy and bliss. This is in essence the same as Sri Aurobindo's insight in The Life Divine that we attain our True Individuality and Purpose by discovering our role in the Universal scheme of things in its attempt to fulfill the Transcendent Will. Ego and Negative Response Ego and Negative Life Response It is helpful to know that each Ego movement you engage in attracts corresponding negative circumstance. Most of your moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and long-term problems are occurring because your Ego movement released negative energies that then aligned with lesser or greater wanting circumstance that you experience along the way. This knowledge alone should motivate you to be alert, watch for, and refrain from every the Ego tendency that arises. Then life will be a wonder of positive unfoldings and ecstatic personal experience. Ego Results of Being in Ego vs. Non-Ego in Relationship to Others, Life When you live in Ego, you constantly come in Conflict with others and life. Life will also work against you, bringing negatives circumstance. Conversely, when you are in Non-ego, you fall into Harmony with others and life, and also attract the very best of conditions. Broadcasting One's Self for those Taking to Spirit Backfires Efforts to broadcast one's self for the sake of one's self-esteem or other ego movements will backfire in works by devotees of the Spirit, the Divine Mother. The higher consciousness will not tolerate the unconsciousness of the lower, and negative response results. Motivation to Change Ego Expression though Life Response or Blows of Life The motivation to change our ego expression will often come when one has experienced the stupendous response from a previous reversal that brought an increase in one's fame, fortune, success, love, etc -- in particular, what one had previously been aspiring for that remained unfulfilled. As a result, we may be energized and motivated to overcome other limiting, ego-filled aspects of our being. The other way we normally overcome Ego is by the harsh blows of life. The choice of which approach to be subject to is ours. Ego's Contradiction vs. Non-Ego's Complementarity In the separateness of Ego, we perceive the division, conflict, and contradiction we have with others and life as very real. When we move

out of Ego to a higher consciousness, we see that relationship as complementary, enabling our further progress. E.g. in Ego, I am in conflict with another's point of view. But in a higher consciousness of connectedness, I perceive the difference of our opinion as something I can learn from on the way to a greater knowledge. Thus, our differing position is really one of complementarity in which we can grow through our relationship with one another. Intensity, Ego, and Keeping Up Big Success Many years ago I overcame a big attitude-related hurdle about working weekends, and attracted the biggest sales of my life. In essence, there was at that time an aspiration to succeed that attracted the commensurate result. Once I received the big $ payout, the intensity leveled off, and there was no further success and payout. Also, the enjoyment of the $ payout superseded my enjoyment of working on the job, further contributing to the lack of repeated success there. Lack of intensity, as well as the ego of enjoying the very large $ payout blocked further successes in that field (retail sales). Ego Prevents Sustained Success Last year a project manager told his proprietor he deserved a much higher salary. His proprietor asked him to double the income of the project and promised to double his salary if he did so. The manager succeeded. A year later he complains that this year everything has gone wrong and he has been unable to perform. He wonders why. Accomplishment is based on effort and capacity, never on ego. Ego comes in to claim the results and the reward afterwards. As soon as it does so and is satisfied, accomplishment stops. It is never 'I' or 'we' that accomplishes, always it is life creating fortuitous circumstances when we remove our personality and step out of the way and subordinate ourselves to the requirements of work. As Representative of the Infinite Consciousness We Can Express the Infinite in Our Lives by Giving Up Ego and Perceiving the Utility of the All -Every soul, every individual is in its inmost being a part and portion of that Infinite; its representative, its delegate. Our very being is a portion of its Being, our personalities are richly woven fabrics composed of myriad colorful threads of that Being, vibrations of Being which are true aspects of Spirit. -The Divine's purpose and goal is to manifest or realize some aspect of its Infinite power and glory in each individual, to give birth to the Divine in man. -We each possess the creative power of the Infinite to manifest Infinity in our own lives. We are each the creator of our lives. We are the determinate of our own creation. -In order to reveal the Infinite in the finite, we must discard the minds ordinary, superficial egoistic view of life and replace it with a non-egoistic regard. -The Unknowable appears to the divided ego as a life of limitations and dualities. Withdrawing Ego we perceive the utility and purpose in everything. We discover that all that comes to us, comes for our progress; every problem contains within it an opportunity, every evil directs us toward a greater Good, every error points toward a greater Truth. -We overcome ego vitally by withdrawing reactions of all types; by withdrawing our opinions and preference; by withdrawing from the surface to the depths. (MSS) Ego What Is Ego? What then is the ego? It is an organization of maximum efficiency for its survival and growth unencumbered by any higher value. Effect of Withholding vs. Taking Credit When you refrain from taking credit for the achievement of a work, bigger accomplishment follows. One's humility (an expression of non-ego) retains the positive force/energy, enabling it to expand, widening the attraction. It also works the other way; i.e. when an ego-movement withers or even cancels the chance for widening success. You can frequently observe both movements in athletics, where the right or wrong response by someone or the group amplifies or cancels an ever-widening achievement.

On Ego -Ego is a view of reality in which each of us feels separate from everyone and everything else. It's the view in which each of us stands at the centre of the universe and we look out on the whole world and everything in it from our own point of view. We relate to everything in terms of our needs, our understanding, our values and beliefs. The ego's view of the world is false. It is an illusion. -The real problem with ego is that it prevents us from knowing ourselves and discovering our own greater potential. It is in this sense most of all that ego is a bar to human progress. -The effort to move away from ego by expanding our consciousness to identify with other people as part of ourselves rather than as foreign objects evokes a corresponding response from them. Arrogant Celebration of Victory Attracts the Negative When you celebrate a win with a touch of arrogance, conditions quickly arise that knock you down a peg. Losing the Advantage of a Negative Knowledge of Another To speak out that you know someone else's falsehood or trick or method to gain the upper hand is to lose the advantage one has. Humility, Ego, and Sustained Success The secret of SUSTAINED SUCCESS is HUMILITY. (Karmayogi) Comment: Ego allows for some success; but it destroys SUSTAINED success.