Let's begin by getting comfortable,
Either lying down or sitting.
You,
In essence,
Are formless consciousness or stillness or presence.
Ego is the false set of current state of consciousness of humanity that doesn't let the presence shine through.
In other words,
It's an entity made of mental conditioning or your thoughts and emotions through which you see and act on the world.
Ego was a necessary stage in the evolution of consciousness,
But to take the next step towards conscious evolution and to ensure our survival,
We must recognize and dissolve the ego.
Considering the current times,
There is a sense of urgency as growing unconsciousness or ego is threatening our survival,
Other species,
And even nature that sustains us.
It's for those of us who already have an inner readiness in ourselves,
Those in whom an inner shift from thoughts to consciousness or inner space has already begun.
Feeling will get you closer to the truth than thinking,
So as we continue through this guided meditation,
I ask you to feel each point rather than to think about them.
When our mind takes over,
So does the ego.
When we feel,
We lead with the heart,
With our soul,
And that is the ultimate goal.
Step one,
Recognizing the ego.
Recognizing the ego in this context is identification with mind and form.
When one says things like,
I am an accountant,
I am a CEO,
I am homeless,
I am a parent,
I am a writer,
I was betrayed,
I am a sufferer of some disease,
This is a part of identification with mind or mental conditioning.
This means thinking or taking that role or label or story which are no more than a bunch of thoughts attached to the primordial I and its other thought forms are you.
In more direct words,
You become your thoughts,
Reactions and emotions.
Ego,
Which is unaware of true source within,
Derives its sense of self from fleeting things,
Status,
Conditions,
Culture,
Physical appearance,
Relationships,
Gender,
Experiences,
Stories,
Knowledge,
History.
Better or worse,
The label or story or condition,
Stronger the identification.
Ego says,
I have,
Therefore I am,
And the more I have,
The more I am.
This delusion is the opposite of the truth.
Step two,
Recognize form identification.
This is when we base our identification with things and conditions like looks,
Body,
Disease,
Illness,
Physical or mental conditions,
Title,
Money,
Assets,
Religion,
Gender,
Skin color,
Race,
Age,
Nationality.
It's all part of form identification,
Contributing to the illusory self image of who you think you are.
Ego continuously needs to feed and identify with forms to survive and strengthen its false sense of self.
Since all things and conditions are subjected to the law of impermanence,
That is to say fleeting,
So ego lives in a constant state of fear,
Anxiously looking for the next thing to identify with to maintain and strengthen its illusory self.
Part of the reason why thinking becomes compulsive,
Part of the reason why thinking becomes compulsive and fear and desire are primary motivating forces.
Ask yourself the following questions.
What if you lost your looks and health due to aging or illness or an accident?
Would you feel complete if you lost your status,
Job,
Relationships,
Money or possessions?
You know,
Later you will have to relinquish these things and conditions anyway.
As with death approaching all forms,
Relationships,
Concepts and conditions that you identified with will become irrelevant and illusory.
As death is stripping away of who you are not,
Is this not a fact?
This does not mean to not enjoy and honor the things,
Relationships and passing pleasures of the world.
In fact,
When you truly realize their impermanent and passing nature,
You honor and enjoy them more.
It's because fear of loss and attachment to forms,
Relationships,
Memories and experiences dissolve.
Their transient nature is allowed to be.
Suffering arises when you seek yourself and long lasting fulfillment in the fleeting world,
Relationships,
Pleasures,
Experiences and things.
If you don't realize this,
You will be condemned to chase after experiences,
Sensory or sexual pleasures,
Relationships and things of this world one after another and consciously seeking lasting fulfillment and sense of self which they cannot provide.
Ask yourself,
If I lost the things or assets or relationships or conditions in my life,
Would I feel complete?
What would I be without them?
Feel the answer within your intelligent body rather than asking the mind.
Your mind may say something like,
Of course,
You will be diminished.
So rather allow deep intuitive responses through your inner body or being as the primary source of intelligence.
Step three,
Realize deeply that fundamentally it is all in the mind.
Whether it's desire,
Fear,
Jealousy,
Conditions,
Happiness,
Sadness,
Stuff you have,
Your achievements,
Looks,
Relationships,
Longing,
Depression,
Your job,
Possessions,
Nationality or any other identification.
These are all ultimately thoughts that are attached to the primordial I and its other forms,
The ego.
Like your car becomes a thought in your head and gets attached to the primordial or conceptual I thought and its other forms that says,
I have a nice car or my beat up car.
Similarly,
Primordial I thought or egoic self attaches itself to other thought forms or labels such as,
I have been suffering from depression.
I make lots of money.
I am an average looking person.
I have achieved this or that.
I am a man,
Woman,
Trance.
As the great Eckhart Tolle says,
Ego is identification with form,
Primarily thought forms.
It may seem like fear,
Desire,
Longing,
Frustration,
Anger and so on are caused by external circumstances and people,
But they are actually created in the mind.
For example,
If you see a desirable thing or person and feelings and thoughts of desire and or frustration arise,
These are conditioned responses.
Be very alert to recognize that desire or frustration are not out there but are created by a mind that seeks forms,
Relationships,
Identity,
Security,
Experiences,
Pleasures in a world to enhance its ultimately fictitious sense of self with an unconscious expectation that they will fulfill it.
Step 4 Recognize the incessant,
Insane and suffering-inducing nature of the mind or that voice in your head.
Your mind is hyperactive as most of your thinking is compulsive,
Recurring and pointless.
The same thoughts come again and again and they trigger the same reactive thoughts and emotions based on conditioning,
Like old broken records playing in your head.
Also,
Due to thinking's often negative nature,
Much of it is harmful and causes serious leakage of energy.
This is the never-stopping voice you identify with that treats the present moment as an obstacle or enemy or means to an end.
The Basic Dysfunction Realize that you are not your mind.
Simply observe your mental activity.
Can you see that this activity or voice in your head is automatic,
Pointless,
Compulsive and never stops?
Deeply realize that it's not you but your mind or ego generating an incessant stream of thoughts and reactions in your space of consciousness based on its conditioning to ensure its survival.
A large part of suffering and problems arise when you believe the voice,
Reactions and emotions are you and follow or believe them.
In other words,
In other words,
When you become the voice and emotions,
That's the sickness of mind identification or ego and the phantom self takes over your whole life and thinking becomes compulsive.
You are not even there but a mind-created image of you.
See the mind as an imposter that pretends to be you.
Mind is a wonderful tool but the problem comes when you seek yourself in it,
Then it becomes an egoic mind and takes over your whole life.
That's when your sense of self is derived from ever-changing content and conditioning of your mind which is based on the past and identification with forms.
This does not mean that all the thoughts are painful or unproductive.
However,
We are primarily pointing to certain repetitive,
Persistent,
Negative thoughts,
Reactions and emotions that form the core of ego.
This consists of about 80 to 90 percent of your mental emotional activity.
There are thoughts that can point you to the spiritual dimension within and can be practical and counter or replace negative,
Repetitive thoughts and beliefs,
Thus not letting you fall into a deeper level of unconsciousness.
However,
They are not ordinary,
Repetitive or attention-seeking thoughts.
Always remember this.
You are Truth.
The timeless,
Perfect and formless awareness that is aware of the incessant voice in your head,
Reactions,
Emotions and world.
As ego implies an awareness of the formless dimension.
Step 6 Realize that this world is like a playground.
Like a sports person has their gear,
Tactics,
Strategies,
Practice for a match or game or event in the same way you have your body,
Things,
Mind and knowledge as your gear to play in this playground,
This world.
Realize that it's just gear and not you.
Yes,
This gear,
Your mind,
Body,
Skills and knowledge has its place to play in this world,
But that does not mean you need to identify or lose yourself in it.
You in essence are formless consciousness and you share that essence with all beings.
It's because we are all expressions of one life.
The concepts in this meditation can take a while to sink in.
So I would recommend that you repeat this meditation a few times until your understanding of the ego and these concepts within the meditation become a lot more clear to you.
When you are ready,
You can slowly start to bring yourself back to this present moment,
Bringing slight movements into your body,
Taking a full deep inhale and exhaling it all out.
Slowly blinking your eyes open and returning back to your day.
God bless.
