Our True Self

A car is made up of metal, plastic, composite, liquids and gasses as parts.

They are put together to make assemblies.

Assemblies put together make the car's parts.

Parts are put together to make the machinery, body and chasis.

These are put together to make a car.

The car has three identities at this stage. Manufacturer, Model and Year of Manufacture.

The car's identity becomes unique when the engine number and chasis number are stamped or engraved.

It gains an unique identity when it is registered with the transport authority post sale.  It then gets possessed. The owner becomes the possessor. A non entity becomes owned.

Same is the case with us all. Our primary origin is the egg from which we were born. Prior to it we were in the form of food our maternal grandma ate.

The egg on fertilisation became ovum and on attaching to the uterine wall an embryo and subsequently an growing embryo, thence a foetus and then a living baby after 23 weeks of pregnancy. We were born in roughly the 40th week of pregnancy of our mother. We had one of two identities - male and female. 

Stage of Company, Model and Date of Manufacture of a Car.

Our parents received us. We were then formally named and possessed even registered with the birth registry.

Stage of Car's Registration. We were possessed with a name, parental names and family name. With it came our tribe, race, caste and religion.

At around 18 month's we recognised ourself as ourself when we looked at ourself in the mirror and sort of said to ourself - that's me. We came to possess ourselves.

Around the age of three years was when we asserted our identity as in I, he, she, we, they etc. The ego was born.

We then started fighting to protect, promote and assert our ego to others through resistance, ownership and belonging - with name and qualities - the ego was moulded.

We then started promoting our unique identity around the time we grew to be some 15 - 16 years of age.

The we became owners of others - our brothers and sisters, parents, people in the extended family, friends, associates, company etc. The ego firmed up.

Coming to know our true Ideentity.

Similar to the origins of the car to be atoms and molecules (these are universal) we too are made of food our maternal grandma ate (again the same or similar atoms and molecules).

Similar to the identity formation and name and fame of car, we too gained an inflated ego. Our real identity got lost.

So what is our real identity. The universal one to which our origins can be traced. Next our being and existence as givens. Thirdly the innate capacity and urge to know i. e. pursuing consciousness.

Erasing the ego methodically is one of many ways to realise our true Identity.

Please care to read another post on consciousness by tapping here -> CONSCIOUSNESS  

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Ego and Mind

Erase the Ego - Gain Spiritual Emancipation

Erase the Ego - Gain Spiritual Emancipation

Here are prescribed simple steps to taste spiritual emancipation in a few minutes without any practice.

Spare 30 minutes to an hour to complete the process. 

Whatever our age. Mine is 73. We start with our present age and ask these questions for previous (reducing by 10 years) ages till we reach the age of 3 years. (Jump from 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, to 3). One can choose to write down the questions and answers specific to ages as applicable. 

Tap this link to obtain a printable PDF of the questions. Questions

For me I will ask for ages 63, 53, 43, 33, 23, 13 and 3.

1. Where was I living.

2. What was I doing.

3. What was my family like.

4. How was my life.

5. What did I think about myself. 

6. Did I have a name? What was it.

7. How did people address me - socially, at work, at home, by siblings.

8. What made me feel proud.

9. What made me feel hurt, pained, insulted, ignored, left alone, not regarded, slighted or blamed.

10. What made me feel angry, sad and anxious.

11. Did I own a self identity which when hurt made me feel hurt.

12. Could I forgive and forget wrong done to me.

13. Did I yearn love, affection and praise. 

14. Did I recognise : Ah that's me.

15. Did I possess a sense of self.

It is at the age of 18 months that we for the first time recognised ourself as in : Ah, that's me!  When we looked at ourself in the mirror. The self was born at that age. Till then we were a first person pronoun, I, He, She without ego. 

We had a fully functional biological existence at the 23rd week of foetal life. The systems are functioning since then.

Till then we were passing through the germinal stage of 0-3 weeks after conception, then the embryonic stage from 3-8 weeks after conception, then developing foetus 8-23 weeks after conception and developed foetus waiting for delivery pains 23-40 weeks after conception. Tap this link to read about foetal development Foetal Development

Earlier to conception we were an egg for the age of our mother's life to delivery plus age of her mother's life. If I was born when my mother was 24 and she was born when her mother was 24 then I spent 48 years waiting to be conceived. My mother's reproductive system was developed when she was passing through 9-10th week of foetal life.

Prior to that our existence was food that our grandma ate. 

So we are born of food, are sustained by food, and are an expression of food. The food partaken by our grandma was eaten by others too.

Food is organic as well as inorganic.

That is our true existence.

Prior to that backward timeless energy assuming and changing forms and existence 

We ourselves have been living for millions if not billions of years.

We are not distinct from any one or any body.

Our core identity is one. One-ness describes our identity.

A rope is mistaken for a snake in dim light.

A snake is mistaken as a python, green snake, water snake or a cobra.

My snake has a name too - I call it Tinku. I possess it.

So also we think of ourself as distinct from everybody else. It is an illusive sense of identity. 

We can journey backward and realise our true identity of being the universal one.

Emancipation is at hand for the asking if only we care to know and realise it.

To know more read verses 65 to 75 from Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8 Part 2 with special emphasis on Verse 70 highlighting illusion by tapping this link Pt 2 Ch VIII ASHTAVAKRA Gita and tap this link for reading the entire Ashtavakra Gita Full Ashtavakra Gita

Emancipation is denied because we are unable to give up the possessive I, mine. No only that we action it by adding sense of possession to it. Thus we convert illusion into reality, then hold on to it as if it is for fact. Ego is generator of all ails. It is the thread that provides possessiveness. Removing or burning the thread returns the beads to the universality of their existence. We do not give it up. We dissolve it whenever it becomes an impediment to our release from bondage. Example of a washerman's donkey is given in shastras to explain how illusion of belonging is generated. 

To read the story tap this link Five Stories for Audio of Five Stories tap this link Five Stories Audio

What is ego? How can it be controlled?

What is Ego? How can it be controlled?

In psychology ego is the self that controls distraught internal conflicts and evaluates, assesses, concludes sanely, safely and effectively.

In common man's terms ego is the unexpressed self pride for certain possessions which when ignored or countered or devalued results in pain, hurt, embarrassment. This possession is doggedly protected and preserved. Commonly stated examples are:

1. You don't know who I am.
2. People don't know how much I know, earn, possess.
3. People don't know my family lineage.
4. I am valuable, capable, love worthy why don't others acknowledge it.

How to reduce ego. I think Dalai Lama's method is most effective. Use mind, thinking, reasoning and feeling together. How? These are my prescriptions :

1. Mind - By committing to implement compassion, kindness, understanding, love, affection.
2. Thinking - Comprehending non personally. By saying to self it was not deliberate.
3. Reasoning - Same as 2.
4. Feeling - Telling mind this. Hey my mind. You are hurt. Come on. Let it go. Please let it go. I will do something about it. Please return to your state of peace. Good.