A mirror to the power that created the universe.
Whatever you want, ask it of yourself.
Whatever you’re looking for can only
be found inside of you.
- Rumi
What is ego? The term is bandied about in numerous contexts with a variety of nuances. It is a concept, a recognition which defies a single definitive formulation. Nor can we say for certain whether it is a good or evil thing. It is however a product of mind, a cognitive reference point in the schematic system in which we are imbedded. It is most definitely not one’s authentic self.
In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali offers a succinct definition of asmita, or self-identification: “Asmita (ego) arises from the confusion between the ever-present awareness with cognitive artifacts.” The Self is formless presence while the ego identifies with name and form. The roots of this identification, as Freud noted, begin in the body. As we develop psychologically, the ego becomes more abstract. However we all generally use the spatiotemporal boundaries of the organism to ground our definition of self – hence our fear of death.
It is important to understand that the spiritual understanding of ego is very different than the understanding of psychoanalysis. For one thing, modern Western psychology is founded upon an anti-spiritual bias. Freud considered religion to be “A system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality,” an evaluation shared by other pioneers in the field such as Albert Ellis and B.F. Skinner. Freud went on to diminish mystical experiences as “regression to primary narcissism.”
From the spiritual standpoint of the contemplative traditions, as well as Jungian Psychology, the rational ego is actually a defense against the reality of the Self. In the words of Deepak Chopra, "The self is the isolated ego clinging to its small reality and the Self is the unbounded spirit that can afford to not cling at all." Meditation practice can help us to let go of clinging and to recognize that our basic awareness in and of itself is “the unbounded spirit.” It is not an abstract concept, or even a belief, it is our most basic sense of being.
When we are truly present, truly “here and now,” we let go of the machinations of ego: defensiveness, judgment, comparison, analysis, resentment, etc. We open to Love. We open to ecstatic Joy. We open to deep intuitive Knowing. These qualities are always present if we pause to pay attention. In order to “know the Self” we have to make the effort to divert our attention from the objects of awareness to appreciate the field of awareness itself. No small matter, since our psyches have been conditioned for millennia to focus exclusively on the world of the senses and the processes of intellect.
On the other hand it is deceptively simple. Swamiji once said, “I can give you a practice in five minutes which might take you ten years to realize.” It is a matter of retraining our minds, returning to our Source and resting in Being. By bringing mindful awareness into every moment of our lives we can start to undo the cognitive and emotional knots of ego and open to the presence of Self, of Love and abiding Joy.
