The Ego and Identification with the Body

The Ego and Identification with the Body
by Atman Nityananda /fcb

The ego is the central factor of the mind, creating the sense of individuality and separateness from others and God, playing a dominant role in our lives due to our complete identification with it.

Read about the ego
The tree of ego
Enquiry into the Nature of Ego – Part I
Ego is the cause of separation & identifications
Ego, Emotions and Consciousnesses
Ego’s projections onto objects & people
EGO – The illusory identity

Among other things, the ego has a unique ability to create identifications, with the primary one being identification with the body. It makes us feel that we are the body and everything related to it, such as the mind and psychological states like name, birthplace, job, etc.

So, when someone asks: Who are you?
We answer: I am George… and I was born in Athens. I am a private employee, I am a Christian, I am…

But in reality, what was born is the body, not us (what we truly are is neither born nor dies). Moreover, the name was given to the body at a time when we had no awareness (consciousness) of the body, our individuality (our ego), or our true Self (Consciousness, the silent presence of Being).

And from constant repetition (as they say, repetition is the mother of learning), “What a good boy George is, how tall and strong George is, how handsome George is, how fast George is, what nice hair George has,” we identified with and believed that we are the body and its characteristics. And now, it’s difficult to untangle ourselves from this illusion (identification, fantasy), which, along with ignorance of our true nature and desire, is the mother of all our suffering.

Apart from identification with the body, the ego creates all kinds of identifications, such as with the contents of the mind (thoughts, emotions, ideas, etc.), people, things, objects, religion, politics, country, language, and everything that the human mind can conceive or not conceive.

Of all these identifications, the dual identification created by the ego between Consciousness (our true nature) and the body holds particular weight.
That is, the ego simultaneously identifies with both the body and Consciousness, and through this dual identification, it creates the illusion that Consciousness belongs to the body and to the ego and the mind. In other words, it creates the illusion that Consciousness belongs to me, the body-mind-ego George, and that this Consciousness is different and separate from the Consciousness of other people, from the universal Consciousness (what religions call God), and from other living beings. This creates a perception of separateness from God and the world (people and all beings).

This perception of separateness from others and from universal Consciousness (God, Brahman, Allah) is the cause of human conflict, discord, lies, hypocrisy, exploitation, enmities, disputes, violence, disharmony, imbalance, and ultimately a great deal of pain and suffering on personal, social, and global levels.

Unless George, John, Maria, Eleni, Anna… that is, the ego, with all its identifications, attachments, desires, likes, dislikes, and all its consequences (anger, hatred, pride, lust, jealousy, greed, etc.), “dies” and the true nature within us is realized, there can be no harmony, freedom, peace, love, or true happiness within us, nor can there be peace, love, and happiness in the world.

As long as we live in the illusion of separateness from our divine nature and others, and in identification with the body and mind, we cannot experience unity with all. In a state of separateness, fear, jealousy, divisions, using others to satisfy our ego, control, and manipulation of others in various ways to meet the illusory needs of our ego are inevitable.

No matter how good our intentions may be, without the death of the ‘ego’ and ‘mine’, without the realization of our divine nature and unity with all, the illusion of separateness will persist, and the same psychological states, emotions, excitements, and thoughts will mechanically repeat within us, just in different scenarios.

The dissolution of the ego requires vigilance, attentiveness, self-awareness (awareness of Being and inner silence), and self-observation of the body and mind (thoughts, emotions, desires, imagination, etc.) moment to moment. It requires disidentification and detachment from mental and emotional manifestations, and, when we are ready, disidentification from the ego itself (that is, the sense of ego that accompanies every function and experience, such as “I see,” “I want,” “I am angry,” etc.). It also requires the development of discernment, detachment, and equanimity, the application of techniques for the dissolution of the ego (such as prayer, mantras, or the EFT method), self-inquiry to distinguish our true nature (our true Self) from the body, mind, and ego, and meditation to deepen and establish awareness of our true nature.

May God’s grace free you from the ego and help you realize your true nature in this lifetime.

“Pray to God, but move your hands.” Grace is always present, but it becomes manifest to those who work with love and dedication for the realization of Truth!

The ‘secret’ to a plentiful life, a life of harmony, happiness and contentment is to have a sattvic mind free from desires and ego and to live in every moment in conscious contact with our true Self (Consciousness).

🌺 Peace, Love, Harmony