“For the Ego to be recognized, the awareness needs to have awakened. Then you can observe yourself. The witness, the observing presence needs to be there.
Once that’s there, you can recognize negativity, and then you’ll know that’s the Ego. Then the Ego is no longer totally dominating you, and you don’t necessarily have to act on it. You can then have a feeling of anger without acting on it, and simply allowing that feeling to be there, and observing it, how it arises, and how it passes away.
You don’t have to obey what it tells you to do, you don’t have to follow every thought that arises out of that feeling. Vigilance is required for you to know where a feeling comes from. Is it generated by a thought in your head? Then it’s Ego. That’s a helpful little hint, is it a feeling that is generated by some story I am telling myself about my life, about other people, about a situation? Or is it a deeper realization of what is needed in a situation?
Whatever it is, the key factor is the witnessing presence inside you. The witnessing presence is the only thing from which the Ego can be recognized.
—Eckhart Tolle
SaltyParadox thoughts: The wokeness word innuendos aside, wakeing to the fact that if we pay attention and regularly practice Being the witness or observer of our thoughts/feelings: just doesn’t make sense to not find out for yourself.
A favorite story about meditation. I don’t remember who said it… Maybe Deepak Chopra: A person chose to learn meditation and after practicing for some weeks said to the teacher: I don’t notice anything different, from trying to practice meditation regularly. The teacher said to ask loved ones and closest friends.
This is what the student reported to the teacher next. “I asked my partner if they thought I was any different since I began learning meditation and this is what the partner said” : “remember that discussion we had that improved our marriage? Before you were learning meditation you would not have been able to have that discussion… you know, stormed out of the room or whatever.”
I don’t know how many sects teach that meditation is not allowed, but I’ve heard rumblings like that through the years. Perhaps from a more dogmatic, fundamentalist, idle hands, sect that think you shouldn’t relax or your hands might find something bad to do.
Of course some forms of meditation could be dangerous for some people. There are some meditation programs that have you giving up your sense of self and rebuilding it at a rapid rate. If you’re not really ready for something like that in depth you can get some severe trouble.
Safety first, Hippocratic oath, I’m down. I’m not a doctor, just a therapist always seeing if you want to participate in your own rehab. So the meditation encouragement is this: Do it regularly. Failing is normal at first particularly. So however you make those cognitive loops for stick-to-itiveness that has to be reached for.
How do you reach for something? Depends on how bad you even want to reach for it? If you’re in debilitating pain you’re going to be a lot more willing participant.
So if you really want to know how to do it, then look into your most trusted sources for the ones that might be best to learn. I tried a bunch of simple kinds and like to learn much more with the breathing ones. Also I’m excited about Tai chi but still not practicing yet officially.
Back to our egos of chickens pecking at each other lives… That was funny.
–mdb