The Essentials of the Ego

The Essentials of the Ego
byAtman Nityananda / blog

Fundamental aspects of the ego

• The sattvic or superior ego
• The rajasotamasic or inferior ego

Sattvic and rajasotamasic are but two aspects of the ego and not two separate or distinct egos.
The higher sattvic mind and ego are harmonious, luminous, intelligent and the vehicle of happiness, knowledge and love, whereas the mind and ego in its lower rajasotamasic aspect are disharmonious, dysfunctional, ignorant and the cause of misery, pain and suffering. The lower aspect of mind and ego is covering the sattvic like a cloak (cape) in the same way that rust covers iron.

The aspects of the ego in relation to the vehicles of our existence

The ego identifying with the body, mind, heart, senses, and intellect (intelligence) functions as:

• The Physical Ego,
• The Vita-emotional Ego,
• The Mental Ego
• The Intellectual Ego

and respectively we become:

• The Doer by identifying with the body,
• The Enjoyer, Sufferer, Feeler by identifying with outer and inner heart,
• The Thinker by identifying with the mind and intellect,
• The Perceiver and Observer by identifying with the senses, body, manas, intellect and Consciouness as well) we become the Perceiver and the Observer of sensory objects and the psychological structures

The psychological structures 
(Desire, Selfish tendencies, patterns, emotions, impulses, beliefs…)

• Memorized sensory impressions, imagination, thoughts, emotions
• Associations,
• Desire and attachment.
• The pairs of opposites. Like-dislike, attraction-repulsion, pain-pleasure, etc.
• The emotions. What are, how do they work, managing emotions, dissolving negative or inferior emotions.
• Selfish tendencies (Samskaras and Vasanas). How they are created, grow and are empowered. Experience, identification, recording, conditioning of the mind,
• Programming, Mental, Emotional patterns and Habits (mental, emotional, physical),
• The beliefs, the importance and their effects.

The Tree of Ego

Ego is desiring
The core of ego is desire, Ego and desire are One and the same element.

Ego is the element in us that is desiring and expecting (causes dependence and attachment) for something from outside (pleasure, success, possession, recognition, approval, acceptance, etc.) that will fulfill us, make us feel happy, enough, worthy, sufficient, secure and complete.

The ego go being essentially desire, grows as pride, lust, greed, arrogance, vanity, attachment, lascivioussnes, gluttony, avarice, anger, hatred, rage, dissatisfaction, inferiority, superiority, existential void, fear, like, dislike, attraction, repulsión, aversion, impatience, distress, sorrow, . depression, etc.

Ego’s main functions

Desiring, identifying, projecting, being attached, attraction-aversion or repulsion, like-dislike.

Ego causes all identifications

The ego causes first of all identification and attachment with the physical body and mental, emotional forms, beliefs, dogmas, ideas, concepts, then sensory experiences, persons, objects, nationality, gender, profession, success, collective identities.

Ego’s main características and behaviors

• Expressing itself as an existential void, as not enough, something missing or lacking, feeling dissatisfaction, insufficient.
• Interpreting (mostly misintepreting) everything according its assumptions and belief system,
• Being obsessed by its own ideas, concepts, beliefs, etc.
• Feeling anxious and stressed,
• Feeling uncomfortable or being afraid of the new, the unknown and what destroys its imaginery sense of self, prestige and reputation,
• Being angry at what disregard it and is against its will, desires, choises, ideas and beliefs.

Ego and others

• Comparing itself with others.
• Criticizing, judging and disregarding others.
• Needing and seeking from others approval, recognition, reward, acceptance.
• Expecting something from others, feeling vulnerable and insecure, easily offended, annoyed, irritated, disappointed from the behavior of others and situations as well.
• Needing and wanting (desiring) to be right and trying (or fighting) to approve it is right, fearing and being angry of what is doubting or shaking its belief system, decisions and way of living.
• Using others as a means to get what it wants, seeing others as friends or enemies depending on being them favorable to the fulfilment of its desires or a hindrance,
• Depending on others (its pleasure, security, happiness, prestige, worthiness, value)
• Depending on external factors its value, security, happiness and fulfilment.
• Needing and wanting (desiring) wanting control others and situations, to feel secure, protected, satisfy it’s desires for comfort,.pleasure, success, fulfilment and happiness.

Ego and Time

• Ego lives in lineal time and mostly in the imaginary past and future. Living mentally and emotionally in its own fictitious past and future.
• Seeing or considering next moment as more important than now.
• Being impatient for the next moment.to come as it is considered by the ego more important and promising from the now.
• Resisting what is happening in the now.
• Living the now as a means to an end.
• Disregarding or non appreciating the value of the present moment and the aliveness of now.

A Map of the Ego

The ultimate purpose of life is liberation from the ego in all its aspects and tendencies and the realization of our divine essence or true Self (Consciousness).

🌺 Peace, Love, Harmony