OM SRI SAI RAM
Two uses of the ' word ' "Ego"
"Ego" is used in two ways:
To understand and effectively use the practice of witnessing the Four Functions of Mind (see the rest of this paper), it is important to note that there are two different ways of using the word Ego. To do this, we will use the metaphor of two houses.
Imagine two houses that are exactly the same, except for the paint and the decorations.
· If we like the color of the paint on the house and the nature of the decorations, we say the house is pretty.
· If we do not like the color of the paint and the nature of the decorations, then we say the house is ugly.
. However, both houses are actually the same as one another, underneath all of the surface appearances of paint and decorations.
· In our common language and in the field of modern psychology, the word Ego generally refers to our personality structure. Thus, in our house metaphor, the Ego of psychology refers to the paint and decorations, with less regard for the existence of the house itself.
· In Yoga psychology, the word Ahamkara means the I-maker and refers to the powerful wave of individuated existence that declares "I am!"
When the word Ahamkara is translated into English, we use the word Ego.
Thus, in our house metaphor, the Ego of Yoga psychology, or Ahamkara, refers to the house itself, not to the paint and decorations, which are considered to be false identities.
This important principle is not just semantics. When most of us hear the word Ego used to represent the word Ahamkara, we automatically, out of habit, project the wrong meaning onto the word Ego. If we only hear the word Ego, and have never previously encountered the word Ahamkara, we are even more blinded.
JAI SAI RAM