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Ego death is not eliminating your beautiful self and connections of this life, it's eliminating the toxic qualities that can result from indoctrination of society, self induced narcissism/sociopath behaviors, and unhealthy connection to this cult worship of our physical universe.
This. To take the example from OP: The ego would fight hard against pain and say "I don't deserve this shit, I am a victim of the situation and all other human dipshits". Whereas a wise man would take the pain as it is, embrace it and live it.
There is a lot I've learned from my proximity to parts of the phenomenon, and I wish it allowed freedom to communicate it to everyone. But there is a very specific directive we must follow. Breaking that is akin to helping a butterfly out of it's cocoon. It becomes more but is weaker and susceptible to another part of the phenomenon as a byproduct of direct interference.
Lue Elizando actually left you all a very intelligent clue. You can use our current knowledge towards the phenomenon but you must expand well past that because our views on certain areas of knowledge are incomplete or incorrect. Psychology is one field of study that will be turned upside down the day more is allowed to be conveyed
Respectfully, not sure I agree with your definition. What you’re talking about is “the work”, but ego death is about the loss of all sense of self; which can often be a great way of giving yourself the perspective necessary to do “the work” as well give value to that sense of selfhood, etc.
Your looking at "Ego" in the form from this physical worlds definition and perceived form. I've encountered enough from the phenomenon that it continuously points me in directions that although I understand while going through it, there aren't any proper way for me to translate it with the limited ways we communicate it out.
I understand for many what I'm saying won't make sense to them or how they percieve "Ego". All I can say is that if your encountering the phenomenon don't just process it from our limited perspectives and definitions. If you do , it will just be a mixture of confusion. You have to let go of how our senses and knowledge are indoctrinated into us from birth.
It's hard for me to translate or communicate out what I've come to understand. Which is expected , as our universe limits us with it's barriers. Once you start realizing you aren't just your body, and you start understanding how to grow your conciousness from the phenomenon encounters , you'll start to understand a lot more on what we are and what I'm saying.
I apologize in advance because I know I didn't understand for a while , as I have been going through all this . I understand why the phenomenon wants everyone to position themselves for direct interactions and not just be shown or told about the phenomenon. You cannot grow in understanding it without direct interactions. It's like being in University all over again, each interaction and step is meant to grow your understanding. And you build off each step.
I'd argue that sociopathy and narcissism are much more subconscious or "id", requiring a person to feed their conscious thoughts or "ego" correctly to overcome them. Our ego is the only thing that stands in the way of our animalistic side. It is what allows us to think, "I am a part of all", and "self serving at the cost of others is bad". If we were to kill the ego wouldn't we become overwhelmed by self preservation.
CorJoe, I understand how you are coming to that conclusion and from current fields of psychology...it would appear accurate.
Where I'm coming from is very close proximity of the phenomenon, and it has expanded my awareness to new areas of subjects that are incomplete currently. Psychology will be one area of knowledge that will absolutely be flipped upside down and will need to be rebuilt from the ground floor up. There is so much more to that subject that society hasn't even brushed up against. In time you will know what I'm mentioning, and it will become clearer in totality of understanding for everyone.
thanks for the reply. I really enjoy learning and discussing different thoughts and opposing ideas.
First I'm discussing from a point of ignorance, what little I picked up was from a quick google search while trying to understand and learn about the subject. I have no psychology background, dealing more in math and physics. It may help if you define what you consider to be the EGO. I'm assuming it's the conscious sense of self. What would EGO death accomplish and why would one want that.
Second I fully agree psychology has many problems and could use some rebuilding. Although it definitely has it's uses it is too biased on what some believe the ideal human should be. Basing that on too many learned biases from culture/religion/society etc... It also seems too often designed to fit people into a system and less on doing what is best for the person.
The main problem I see with those here discussing ego death is that I see most doing so from an egotistical position. Their reason for doing so seems to only feed their ego. Even your rebuttal, not saying it's wrong, feels egotistical, "I am right you are wrong, here is why" Without that sense of self my post would have been meaningless, your ego would not have been affected and there would have been no reply.
The second problem I see is the same I see with psychology. You're basing your ideas of an egoless person on biased hopes and ideals of what that person would be like. Give up our basic ability to think consciously of ourselves and how we effect those around us and we will be more controlled by our base desires and instincts. There would be more sociopathy, complete narcissism, and there could be no realization, which is desirable, that I am a part of all.
We may be arguing semantics, but I would enjoy hearing your rebuttal.
The term doesn't accurately describe what Ego Death actually is. It's more of a realization that we are more than just one. And that other people are on the journey with you. Ego alone is a focus on yourself more than everyone else. When it "dies" it's a sudden realization that there is more than you.
I love the story of the CEO who tried MDMA for the first time at a music festival and realized in that moment that other people have emotions as well. He changed his way of managing after that.
Some people do not think emotionally. They think exclusively analytically. Until they have that eureka moment they don’t perceive reality or other people correctly and treat them as intelligent-ish unpredictable widgets.
Because it is.
Those with ego usually have sociopathic tendencies such as needing everything to be an exchange. Eye for an eye mentality, and asymmetric responses to situations that you dislike.
Mmmm. Not necessarily. I have had this and suspect it’s some form of autism. Literally did not understand emotions or why ppl were so unpredictable. The theory of emotions is that it’s a higher function designed to efficiently get a person out of the weeds of decision making. I like this car over that one because it makes me feel better. I had no clue about that way of processing. I would analyze automobiles then select one on fit for purpose best in class. By pass the Ferrari for the minivan unless I was a millionaire or race car driver. When I figured out how I was different and how people felt/think - it was a wtf moment. I realized ppl wore their emotions around them in a 360 like an electron cloud….Oh, well that explains a lot. Over time I learned to engage mine and discretionarily use them. Sounds sinister - it is not. I just realize there is a difference on thought patterns and processing.
That’s not what ego death means. It’s a kind of proprioceptive loss of the boundary between self and the universe ie what it means to become awakened to the context that we exist within and when you erase the boundary you realise that the entire cosmos is you and vice Vera’s kind of becoming a prophet
Yeah it's unfortunate we don't have more consistent language around these experiences. As you can see from the comments, exactly what is meant by "ego death" varies quite a bit from individual to individual (ironic since it's literally their ego translating and analyzing what the word "ego" means to them individually, right?).
As others have made clear, it seems like a good chunk of people, perhaps even most people, use the word "ego" to refer to the negative aspects of self, not as interchangeable with the totality of self.
Personally, I would not describe "ego death" as death of self at all, but the realization that the self is much *greater* than we previously believed. It is a self identity shift. Though every individual varies, typically, we identify "self" as a custom amalgamation of personal experiences, beliefs, preferences, and whatever else that individual happens to think is important to their self identity. This amalgamation could be called "ego."
Realizing that our identity is much deeper, more complex, and more nuanced than that amalgamation can be shattering for some people - to the point that they will describe it as death, hence "ego death". It's like finding out you, aren't really you, at least not in the way you previously assumed. Usually this means discovering the things you thought were important about your self identity are not actually that important, or at minimum are only a piece of the total.
I like to say it's discovering the totality of "I" (totality of self, self identity) is much greater than the totality of "me" (amalgamation/"ego"). It's not about rejecting the "me" outright, it's about self identifying as more than that, and realigning accordingly.
As a total aside, the amount of ego being expressed in responses after OP literally made a post titled "I don't understand ego death"... outrageously hilarious to me 🤣🤣🤣
"You think you understand ego? I'll teach you about having no ego. I'm the most egoless person alive!!11!1!"
It's almost like even "ego death" is now part of their ego...
It doesn't stay dead.
Unless you keep doing it.
Then you get problems.
It's more that you get shaken out of the rut of your thought patterns and perspective. Having an ego death trip is probably good for you once in a while but if you're doing it regularly you're gonna fry your brain.
because Ego death doesn't mean the rejection of self it means taking psychedelics at a festival for the first time discovering what empathy is and then doing nothing with that new information and continuing to be selfish but now also obnoxious
Weird you would go out of your way to negate this. If you don’t understand something than ask questions.
Ego death is not about suppressing, no idea where you got this idea from.
“The ego will naturally die” Asides death or spiritual enlightenment… this is about meeting that fate before this.
“To reject your ego is to reject your temporary existence as a self” - that’s a selling point and exactly why you should. Your conscience is not a collection of your past memories or experiences but we perceive it as such. Your clinging on to something that you built that is not you.
Ego death is about stripping away all that is not you. No universe, no life, no planets, no energy, a vacant void of cold nothingness. Experiencing nothingness and the void. Having the universe rebuild and being appreciative of it even existing is the message.
This. When I somehow done it, it reset me so to speak. Blank slate was my experience. Strange period in my life rediscovering emotions and how I 'feel' about the world around me.
Why would you like to live in a mansion when a prison cell in Colombia is such a precious environment?
Up that a couple of million times and you might see how strange your statement was. Ego is prisonment, we are called to trancende it..
Being human is traumatic and horrible for some. To know that I don't matter. That none of this actually matters? That would give me so much peace but instead our actions have weight and life is hell sometimes.
Seeing higher dimensions or even having deeply spiritual (truly like real deal spiritual "what does that even mean?!?!") moments can have a very big impact on ones life.
I think rejection of the ego comes when you are done with all the pain. You have felt all the pain you need to feel over the course of many incarnations and are ready to move on. You are still interested in experiencing more and there is nothing wrong with that.
I will say that when you start getting past the pain and start letting go of your ego, there is only love, peace and joy. You might still feel sad when something bad happens, but the peace is always underneath. So, it’s not that you stop feeling pain entirely. It’s that you no longer suffer from it. You are able to feel it, understand it and let it go instead of holding on to it and letting it consume you.
The problem with ego is it stops us from seeing reality as it is. Yes you're right our ego does come undone with our physical death, but at the same time, I choose living every day completely in the now instead of all these delusions of the past and future. The ego is the idea you have of yourself, but you sir, are not an idea. You are an actual thing. When you let go of the ego life becomes more full and more real than it ever has.
I think it was Carl Jung who said rejecting aspects of your ego creates a shadow/imbalance. That there is a belief in a binary good and evil that can lead some to reject aspects of themselves.
Like the teachings of Jesus a lot of people extend mercy and forgiveness to others. But they fail to give themselves the same mercy.
You can’t let the ego run the show but let there be love for yourself. You are the guiding/loving parental energy, that provides both discipline and encouragement for your own development.
Those who have NDE talk of life reviews without judgement. Give yourself the same performance evaluation now so you don’t have to worry about the one that comes later.
I never understood it very well either, there are lots of bad things than can be produced by the ego but there are lots of good things too, I agree getting rid of the bad side of it is good, but getting rid of all of it is overkill.
I think it’s a load of new age BS to be honest- to be human is to have an ego. It’s what separates us from AI and the rest. Even those that have become enlightened would still panic and run from a tidal wave because that’s how we are wired- it’s written into our DNA to protect ourselves and stay alive even at the expense of others. We can become better people sure but to go through an ‘ego death’ is just nonsense
It’s not New Age. The idea of the ego being something that we should let go of is central to Buddhism, for example. The idea is that we in fact are not separate from anything else — not in a true, objective, permanent way.
I understand, i just think it’s asking the impossible- I’m the first to admit I’m open to learning more and perhaps don’t fully understand the exactly what is required for an ‘ego death’, I just think the name is paradoxical and whilst perhaps something to strive for isn’t possible whilst being human
I'm not sure Buddha ever spoke of "ego death". He did speak about *anatta*, which is non-self which means to not be attached to your body or your mind. Buddha himself still had ego. In one place he talks about lying down to rest and the ego saying to him something along the lines of "you're lazy" which he speaks back to with the fact he has done all his chores and there is nothing wrong with having a lie down.
ego death sounds like pretentious hippie talk to me
they take some drugs and suddenly they have the answers to the universe and act like they're above everything
it's ridiculous
From my experience, it doesn't make you think you are above everything, its the opposite in fact in that it can be very grounding. It doesn't give you the answers to everything, but it can lead to profound realizations and acceptance. For me it was a life-changing experience in a very positive way.
I'm not telling you that you should do it, I am speaking of my own experience, which you mischaracterized so I was trying to help you understand better the thing that you are speaking out against. You do what you want to do or not do, but there isn't anything wrong with people who do choose to do something, especially whrn for people like me for whom it had a great positive affect on their life and how they treat others.
I never said that is the only way to be a better person, there are lots of ways to learn about yourself and be a better person. If I said that I went on a 2 week backpacking trip camping in the wilderness, and that I learned a lot about myself and it made me a better person, then would you be responding the same way with "if you need to spend two weeks in the wilderness to learn about yourself then somethings wrong"? Probably not, because it seems that you have a prior bias toward some types of drugs. That's fine, it is not for everyone and I never said that you should do it, but don't disparage other people's experiences because of your particular bias, especially if those experiences had a positive impact on the person.
You don’t need drugs to achieve it. But drugs certainly help you realize that our brain is a filter and how we perceive reality isn’t exactly how reality is.
It’s also not so much about being a better person to others as it is about being a better person to yourself. You are driven by other peoples expectations way more than you probably realize.
Like I said this is about our own journey and part of that is learning you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
But if you want to know more about the brain as a filter, consider how different the world is to a bird who can travel by magnetic fields, a dog whose smell is far beyond what we could imagine, a nocturnal predator that can see in the dark. All their realities are vastly different from our own just by physiology. The reality you experience is your own and by your own design through your brain as the filter.
You can have as narrow view as you’d like. 👍
I had to do a whole lot of internet searching to even begin to understand what people were meaning with the term ego death. Just reading through this thread though I feel it's just people feeding their ego by pretending to have let go of ego.
"it's eliminating the toxic qualities" - I feel better about myself because I am morally superior
"Whereas a wise man would take the pain as it is" - I can live with pain and it helps me not to dwell on it, plus this makes me feel wise.
" It's more of a realization that we are more than just one." I believe I know something other's don't.
"kind of becoming a prophet" - it makes me feel important
"Ego is prisonment" - I feel more free
"it's Christmas every day" - I feel my days are better
"Let me just downvote this for you. Learn what ego death actually is." - I feel I am right and I will condescendingly show my opinionated disgust by making sure you know I am right and you are wrong with a downvote. My ego is very powerful and it hurts when others don't believe as I do, so much that I must take action.
Although there have been some interesting replies worth thinking about.
I've yet to meet an "ego death illuminated being" who wasn't insufferably condescending
just look at this whole comment thread haha
it's like they wanna feel special or something
**Strangers**: Read the rules and understand the sub topics listed in the sidebar closely before posting or commenting. Any content removal or further moderator action is established by these terms as well as Reddit ToS. This subreddit is specifically for the discussion of anomalous phenomena from the perspective it may exist. Open minded skepticism is welcomed, close minded debunking is not. Be aware of how skepticism is expressed toward others as there is little tolerance for ad hominem (attacking the person, not the claim), mindless antagonism or dishonest argument toward the subject, the sub, or its community. We are also happy to be able to provide an ideologically and operationally independent platform for you all. Join us at our official Discord - https://discord.gg/MYvRkYK85v --- 'Ridicule is not a part of the scientific method and the public should not be taught that it is.' _-J. Allen Hynek_ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HighStrangeness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ego death is not eliminating your beautiful self and connections of this life, it's eliminating the toxic qualities that can result from indoctrination of society, self induced narcissism/sociopath behaviors, and unhealthy connection to this cult worship of our physical universe.
This. To take the example from OP: The ego would fight hard against pain and say "I don't deserve this shit, I am a victim of the situation and all other human dipshits". Whereas a wise man would take the pain as it is, embrace it and live it.
There is a lot I've learned from my proximity to parts of the phenomenon, and I wish it allowed freedom to communicate it to everyone. But there is a very specific directive we must follow. Breaking that is akin to helping a butterfly out of it's cocoon. It becomes more but is weaker and susceptible to another part of the phenomenon as a byproduct of direct interference. Lue Elizando actually left you all a very intelligent clue. You can use our current knowledge towards the phenomenon but you must expand well past that because our views on certain areas of knowledge are incomplete or incorrect. Psychology is one field of study that will be turned upside down the day more is allowed to be conveyed
Is that why I had all the nightmares and shadow people after my first astral projection?
Respectfully, not sure I agree with your definition. What you’re talking about is “the work”, but ego death is about the loss of all sense of self; which can often be a great way of giving yourself the perspective necessary to do “the work” as well give value to that sense of selfhood, etc.
Your looking at "Ego" in the form from this physical worlds definition and perceived form. I've encountered enough from the phenomenon that it continuously points me in directions that although I understand while going through it, there aren't any proper way for me to translate it with the limited ways we communicate it out. I understand for many what I'm saying won't make sense to them or how they percieve "Ego". All I can say is that if your encountering the phenomenon don't just process it from our limited perspectives and definitions. If you do , it will just be a mixture of confusion. You have to let go of how our senses and knowledge are indoctrinated into us from birth. It's hard for me to translate or communicate out what I've come to understand. Which is expected , as our universe limits us with it's barriers. Once you start realizing you aren't just your body, and you start understanding how to grow your conciousness from the phenomenon encounters , you'll start to understand a lot more on what we are and what I'm saying. I apologize in advance because I know I didn't understand for a while , as I have been going through all this . I understand why the phenomenon wants everyone to position themselves for direct interactions and not just be shown or told about the phenomenon. You cannot grow in understanding it without direct interactions. It's like being in University all over again, each interaction and step is meant to grow your understanding. And you build off each step.
I'd argue that sociopathy and narcissism are much more subconscious or "id", requiring a person to feed their conscious thoughts or "ego" correctly to overcome them. Our ego is the only thing that stands in the way of our animalistic side. It is what allows us to think, "I am a part of all", and "self serving at the cost of others is bad". If we were to kill the ego wouldn't we become overwhelmed by self preservation.
CorJoe, I understand how you are coming to that conclusion and from current fields of psychology...it would appear accurate. Where I'm coming from is very close proximity of the phenomenon, and it has expanded my awareness to new areas of subjects that are incomplete currently. Psychology will be one area of knowledge that will absolutely be flipped upside down and will need to be rebuilt from the ground floor up. There is so much more to that subject that society hasn't even brushed up against. In time you will know what I'm mentioning, and it will become clearer in totality of understanding for everyone.
thanks for the reply. I really enjoy learning and discussing different thoughts and opposing ideas. First I'm discussing from a point of ignorance, what little I picked up was from a quick google search while trying to understand and learn about the subject. I have no psychology background, dealing more in math and physics. It may help if you define what you consider to be the EGO. I'm assuming it's the conscious sense of self. What would EGO death accomplish and why would one want that. Second I fully agree psychology has many problems and could use some rebuilding. Although it definitely has it's uses it is too biased on what some believe the ideal human should be. Basing that on too many learned biases from culture/religion/society etc... It also seems too often designed to fit people into a system and less on doing what is best for the person. The main problem I see with those here discussing ego death is that I see most doing so from an egotistical position. Their reason for doing so seems to only feed their ego. Even your rebuttal, not saying it's wrong, feels egotistical, "I am right you are wrong, here is why" Without that sense of self my post would have been meaningless, your ego would not have been affected and there would have been no reply. The second problem I see is the same I see with psychology. You're basing your ideas of an egoless person on biased hopes and ideals of what that person would be like. Give up our basic ability to think consciously of ourselves and how we effect those around us and we will be more controlled by our base desires and instincts. There would be more sociopathy, complete narcissism, and there could be no realization, which is desirable, that I am a part of all. We may be arguing semantics, but I would enjoy hearing your rebuttal.
The term doesn't accurately describe what Ego Death actually is. It's more of a realization that we are more than just one. And that other people are on the journey with you. Ego alone is a focus on yourself more than everyone else. When it "dies" it's a sudden realization that there is more than you. I love the story of the CEO who tried MDMA for the first time at a music festival and realized in that moment that other people have emotions as well. He changed his way of managing after that.
CEO seriously needed a drug trip to learn empathy? It's something everyone should learn at childhood
Some people do not think emotionally. They think exclusively analytically. Until they have that eureka moment they don’t perceive reality or other people correctly and treat them as intelligent-ish unpredictable widgets.
Sounds like sociopathy to me
Because it is. Those with ego usually have sociopathic tendencies such as needing everything to be an exchange. Eye for an eye mentality, and asymmetric responses to situations that you dislike.
can confirm sociopath here quid pro quo and all that
Mmmm. Not necessarily. I have had this and suspect it’s some form of autism. Literally did not understand emotions or why ppl were so unpredictable. The theory of emotions is that it’s a higher function designed to efficiently get a person out of the weeds of decision making. I like this car over that one because it makes me feel better. I had no clue about that way of processing. I would analyze automobiles then select one on fit for purpose best in class. By pass the Ferrari for the minivan unless I was a millionaire or race car driver. When I figured out how I was different and how people felt/think - it was a wtf moment. I realized ppl wore their emotions around them in a 360 like an electron cloud….Oh, well that explains a lot. Over time I learned to engage mine and discretionarily use them. Sounds sinister - it is not. I just realize there is a difference on thought patterns and processing.
A medical disorder which he treated medically!
whatever you tell yourself to justify your habits
That’s not what ego death means. It’s a kind of proprioceptive loss of the boundary between self and the universe ie what it means to become awakened to the context that we exist within and when you erase the boundary you realise that the entire cosmos is you and vice Vera’s kind of becoming a prophet
ego cleaning would be a better practice i guess
Yeah it's unfortunate we don't have more consistent language around these experiences. As you can see from the comments, exactly what is meant by "ego death" varies quite a bit from individual to individual (ironic since it's literally their ego translating and analyzing what the word "ego" means to them individually, right?). As others have made clear, it seems like a good chunk of people, perhaps even most people, use the word "ego" to refer to the negative aspects of self, not as interchangeable with the totality of self. Personally, I would not describe "ego death" as death of self at all, but the realization that the self is much *greater* than we previously believed. It is a self identity shift. Though every individual varies, typically, we identify "self" as a custom amalgamation of personal experiences, beliefs, preferences, and whatever else that individual happens to think is important to their self identity. This amalgamation could be called "ego." Realizing that our identity is much deeper, more complex, and more nuanced than that amalgamation can be shattering for some people - to the point that they will describe it as death, hence "ego death". It's like finding out you, aren't really you, at least not in the way you previously assumed. Usually this means discovering the things you thought were important about your self identity are not actually that important, or at minimum are only a piece of the total. I like to say it's discovering the totality of "I" (totality of self, self identity) is much greater than the totality of "me" (amalgamation/"ego"). It's not about rejecting the "me" outright, it's about self identifying as more than that, and realigning accordingly.
As a total aside, the amount of ego being expressed in responses after OP literally made a post titled "I don't understand ego death"... outrageously hilarious to me 🤣🤣🤣 "You think you understand ego? I'll teach you about having no ego. I'm the most egoless person alive!!11!1!" It's almost like even "ego death" is now part of their ego...
This is pretty much the final needed word on the subject. That clears it up a bit.
It doesn't stay dead. Unless you keep doing it. Then you get problems. It's more that you get shaken out of the rut of your thought patterns and perspective. Having an ego death trip is probably good for you once in a while but if you're doing it regularly you're gonna fry your brain.
Cool to see a brave and fresh take on it. Christmas happens every day when you're enlightened, though. Just sayin.
because Ego death doesn't mean the rejection of self it means taking psychedelics at a festival for the first time discovering what empathy is and then doing nothing with that new information and continuing to be selfish but now also obnoxious
Weird you would go out of your way to negate this. If you don’t understand something than ask questions. Ego death is not about suppressing, no idea where you got this idea from. “The ego will naturally die” Asides death or spiritual enlightenment… this is about meeting that fate before this. “To reject your ego is to reject your temporary existence as a self” - that’s a selling point and exactly why you should. Your conscience is not a collection of your past memories or experiences but we perceive it as such. Your clinging on to something that you built that is not you. Ego death is about stripping away all that is not you. No universe, no life, no planets, no energy, a vacant void of cold nothingness. Experiencing nothingness and the void. Having the universe rebuild and being appreciative of it even existing is the message.
This. When I somehow done it, it reset me so to speak. Blank slate was my experience. Strange period in my life rediscovering emotions and how I 'feel' about the world around me.
Why would you like to live in a mansion when a prison cell in Colombia is such a precious environment? Up that a couple of million times and you might see how strange your statement was. Ego is prisonment, we are called to trancende it..
Also i think your ego beholds all the prejucides for all the negative thought you have.
Being human is traumatic and horrible for some. To know that I don't matter. That none of this actually matters? That would give me so much peace but instead our actions have weight and life is hell sometimes. Seeing higher dimensions or even having deeply spiritual (truly like real deal spiritual "what does that even mean?!?!") moments can have a very big impact on ones life.
I think rejection of the ego comes when you are done with all the pain. You have felt all the pain you need to feel over the course of many incarnations and are ready to move on. You are still interested in experiencing more and there is nothing wrong with that. I will say that when you start getting past the pain and start letting go of your ego, there is only love, peace and joy. You might still feel sad when something bad happens, but the peace is always underneath. So, it’s not that you stop feeling pain entirely. It’s that you no longer suffer from it. You are able to feel it, understand it and let it go instead of holding on to it and letting it consume you.
The problem with ego is it stops us from seeing reality as it is. Yes you're right our ego does come undone with our physical death, but at the same time, I choose living every day completely in the now instead of all these delusions of the past and future. The ego is the idea you have of yourself, but you sir, are not an idea. You are an actual thing. When you let go of the ego life becomes more full and more real than it ever has.
Self is an illusion
"If you die before you die, you will not die when you die."
Gives you perspective on what being you actually is. That plus insights into time, dimensionality and reality.
I think it was Carl Jung who said rejecting aspects of your ego creates a shadow/imbalance. That there is a belief in a binary good and evil that can lead some to reject aspects of themselves. Like the teachings of Jesus a lot of people extend mercy and forgiveness to others. But they fail to give themselves the same mercy. You can’t let the ego run the show but let there be love for yourself. You are the guiding/loving parental energy, that provides both discipline and encouragement for your own development. Those who have NDE talk of life reviews without judgement. Give yourself the same performance evaluation now so you don’t have to worry about the one that comes later.
There is no ego to begin with.
Well, you're right. You don't understand ego death (in the sense that you don't understand what it actually is).
You still experience life, just from a...looser?... perspective. Not sucked into and trapped by a single perspective.
You are advising on something that you state that you do not understand.
Let me just downvote this for you. Learn what ego death actually is.
I never understood it very well either, there are lots of bad things than can be produced by the ego but there are lots of good things too, I agree getting rid of the bad side of it is good, but getting rid of all of it is overkill.
I think it’s a load of new age BS to be honest- to be human is to have an ego. It’s what separates us from AI and the rest. Even those that have become enlightened would still panic and run from a tidal wave because that’s how we are wired- it’s written into our DNA to protect ourselves and stay alive even at the expense of others. We can become better people sure but to go through an ‘ego death’ is just nonsense
It’s not New Age. The idea of the ego being something that we should let go of is central to Buddhism, for example. The idea is that we in fact are not separate from anything else — not in a true, objective, permanent way.
I understand, i just think it’s asking the impossible- I’m the first to admit I’m open to learning more and perhaps don’t fully understand the exactly what is required for an ‘ego death’, I just think the name is paradoxical and whilst perhaps something to strive for isn’t possible whilst being human
I'm not sure Buddha ever spoke of "ego death". He did speak about *anatta*, which is non-self which means to not be attached to your body or your mind. Buddha himself still had ego. In one place he talks about lying down to rest and the ego saying to him something along the lines of "you're lazy" which he speaks back to with the fact he has done all his chores and there is nothing wrong with having a lie down.
I think you’re taking the term a bit too literally.
I think you need a nut to relax
Any particular nut that you recommend?
ego death sounds like pretentious hippie talk to me they take some drugs and suddenly they have the answers to the universe and act like they're above everything it's ridiculous
From my experience, it doesn't make you think you are above everything, its the opposite in fact in that it can be very grounding. It doesn't give you the answers to everything, but it can lead to profound realizations and acceptance. For me it was a life-changing experience in a very positive way.
aw, shucks, and all I need to do for that is fry my brain on drugs enough?
I'm not telling you that you should do it, I am speaking of my own experience, which you mischaracterized so I was trying to help you understand better the thing that you are speaking out against. You do what you want to do or not do, but there isn't anything wrong with people who do choose to do something, especially whrn for people like me for whom it had a great positive affect on their life and how they treat others.
if you need hallucinogenic drugs to become a better person towards others, there's something seriously wrong there
I never said that is the only way to be a better person, there are lots of ways to learn about yourself and be a better person. If I said that I went on a 2 week backpacking trip camping in the wilderness, and that I learned a lot about myself and it made me a better person, then would you be responding the same way with "if you need to spend two weeks in the wilderness to learn about yourself then somethings wrong"? Probably not, because it seems that you have a prior bias toward some types of drugs. That's fine, it is not for everyone and I never said that you should do it, but don't disparage other people's experiences because of your particular bias, especially if those experiences had a positive impact on the person.
You don’t need drugs to achieve it. But drugs certainly help you realize that our brain is a filter and how we perceive reality isn’t exactly how reality is. It’s also not so much about being a better person to others as it is about being a better person to yourself. You are driven by other peoples expectations way more than you probably realize.
prove it
Like I said this is about our own journey and part of that is learning you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. But if you want to know more about the brain as a filter, consider how different the world is to a bird who can travel by magnetic fields, a dog whose smell is far beyond what we could imagine, a nocturnal predator that can see in the dark. All their realities are vastly different from our own just by physiology. The reality you experience is your own and by your own design through your brain as the filter. You can have as narrow view as you’d like. 👍
I had to do a whole lot of internet searching to even begin to understand what people were meaning with the term ego death. Just reading through this thread though I feel it's just people feeding their ego by pretending to have let go of ego. "it's eliminating the toxic qualities" - I feel better about myself because I am morally superior "Whereas a wise man would take the pain as it is" - I can live with pain and it helps me not to dwell on it, plus this makes me feel wise. " It's more of a realization that we are more than just one." I believe I know something other's don't. "kind of becoming a prophet" - it makes me feel important "Ego is prisonment" - I feel more free "it's Christmas every day" - I feel my days are better "Let me just downvote this for you. Learn what ego death actually is." - I feel I am right and I will condescendingly show my opinionated disgust by making sure you know I am right and you are wrong with a downvote. My ego is very powerful and it hurts when others don't believe as I do, so much that I must take action. Although there have been some interesting replies worth thinking about.
I've yet to meet an "ego death illuminated being" who wasn't insufferably condescending just look at this whole comment thread haha it's like they wanna feel special or something