Eckhart Tolle On Ego- http://hubpages.com/hub/eckhart-tolle-egoc

Eckhart Tolle On Ego


http://hubpages.com/hub/eckhart-tolle-ego



By minso
What is Ego?

Ego is identification with our body and mind. Let us consider first the aspect of mind. We are not able to realize our inner reality because of the obstruction called mind. Our constant thinking is like a back ground noise which does not allow us to experience the inner stillness.

Is it wrong to think then? Eckhart Tolle says that thinking is a natural process and we need to use whenever we need it. However, thinking out of compulsion or constant thinking that is what causes the problem. He says ‘thinking has become a disease’. However since every body is doing the same, we all consider thinking as normal.


Ego in the popular sense


Usually we understand and use the word ‘Ego’ as meaning pride and superiority. Though this meaning is correct in the general sense, Eckhart Tolle’s definition of ego goes deeper. Let us say there is some one who is very humble and nice and we normally say ‘this person does not have any ego despite of the position or wealth’. This statement is correct in the normal sense, however from spirituality point of view, ego is simply defined as identification with body and mind. From this perspective, ego is neither good nor bad, it is simply a wrong identification.

However, a person with pride and superiority may find it even more difficult to progress spiritually; than a person who is humble, because of the degrees of identification of the ego.


Ego and body


Apart from mind, Ego also is identified with the pain body. We lived our whole lives identifying without our emotional pain bodies and then consider that body as ourselves. Eckhart Tolle explains that emotion is the body’s reaction to the mind. So in essence, the ego identification of the mind also percolates down to the body.

Now with all the pains, why should we identify ourselves with the body? We identify ourselves with the body (and mind) because of inner fears that we may loose our identity completely otherwise.


Quote

Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake.

Eckhart Tolle


Who or what is God?

There is a higher reality beyond body and mind, which is called God by religions. Eckhart Tolle prefers not to use the word ‘God’ because the word is misused for years and the moment we start with that word, we start with a bias or pre-judgements.

He calls this higher reality as ‘Being’. Being is our true nature beyond the body and mind. Because it is beyond the mind, we can not understand the Being state using mind and logic. One has to experience it. Being is an eternal state, with stillness and peace, inside us.



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How to experience the Being or Inner Reality?

We need to come out of our Ego, which is identification with our body and mind. We are habituated to think constantly. In order break the identification with the mind, we need to break the habit of thinking. This can be done by watching ourselves moment to moment. By being in the present and by observing our sensations and thoughts, we keep ourselves in the present. When we are thinking with the mind, we are with the ego, and for ego, only past and future are relevant. So we keep thinking about the past or future always worrying about something. Ego keeps us away from the present.

The way to come out of the ego trap is to consciously practice being in the present. We can do this by observing out thoughts and emotions without judgement. Pay special attention to habitual thought patterns. When you are aware of your thought, you are the observer and the ‘observing you’ is different from ‘thinking you’. So you already created a new dimension of consciousness by observing your thought. When you do this, the thought loses power and it retraces.

You can also do this practice using body sensations. For example, whenever you are doing any small activity like washing your hands or lacing your shoe, focus on the task at hand, observe closely your body sensations without any judgement. The idea is to disengage the mind when not required.

These practices of being in the present, give a state of ‘no mind’ once in while in the beginning and gradually the compulsive thinking will reduce. Once the compulsive thinking gets reduced, you will start experiencing the inner peace. This peace is not created, it already exists in side you, covered by your Ego, a wrong identification with your body and mind. With more and more practice, the sense of stillness and peace will deepen further.

In Eckhart Tolle's words: 'When consciousness frees itself its identification with physical and mental forms, it becomes what we may call pure or enlightened consciousness or presence'.