Maya Architect of Delusion – Jed McKenna
―Maya might best be understood as the intelligence of fear……..It is Maya who bestows upon us the miraculous and life-giving power to see what‘s not and to not see what is………Maya is the structural integrity of Ego……….There is no way to understand what Maya is except to grapple with her………In this war Maya has every advantage but one; ‗TRUTH.‘ Maya doesn‘t exist. Truth does.‖
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My Impression On Above Chapter: „There Is No Such Thing as Ego‟
I don't have an Ego. And you don‘t either!
That doesn't mean you and I don't get caught up in ‗Selfish‘ (1) thinking and behaviour, but that we are mistaken in thinking of the ‗Ego‘ as some separate individual self (some ‗thing‘ in the mind).
When I observe my own mind, I notice there is an ever-present sense of ‗INess.‘(2) This has been there all my life, and has not changed. The feeling of being me is the same feeling I had when I was ten years old.
My thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, attitude, character, personality, roles, desires, needs, and beliefs may have changed considerably over the years, but the sense of ‗I‘ has not.
I do not find a separate ‗Ego, ‘ another ‗Self‘ (3) that sometimes takes over.
What I find instead are various patterns of thinking that condition how I decide and act. At times, I may feel fearful or judgmental, and I may behave in ways that are manipulative or self-protective. I may think that if I could just have things be a particular way I would be happy.
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I may feel insecure and want attention from others, seeking to feel important. I may draw a sense of identity from my social status, the roles I play, my character, or my lifestyle. And when this is challenged in some way, I may try to defend and reinforce this ‗constructed sense of identity. ‘
In each case, past experiences and conditioning create beliefs, attitudes, needs, desires, and aversions. These become the lens through which I see my world, affecting how I interpret my experience, the thoughts that arise in my mind, and a whole set of stories about what to say or do, in order to get what I think will bring me happiness and make me feel better. However, the ‗I‘ that is interpreting and thinking is the same ‗I‘ that is always there.
But its attention has become engrossed in some or other ‗Egoic‘ pattern of thinking, leading to correspondingly ‗Egocentric‘ decisions and actions. What we call the ‗Ego‘ is not another separate self. It is as a ‗mode of being‘ that can dominate our thinking, decisions, speech, and actions, leading us to behave in ways that are uncaring, self-centered, or manipulative. Our exploration of
‗Ego‘ would be more fruitful if we stopped using the word as a noun, which immediately implies some ‗thing;‘ and instead we thought of ‗Ego‘ as mental processes that can occupy our attention. For this a verb is a more appropriate part of speech. ‗I am Ego-ing.‘
The difference is subtle, but very important. If I see the ‗Ego‘ as a separate self (some ‗thing‘), then it is easy to fall into the belief (common in many spiritual circles) that I must get rid of my ‗Ego,‘ transcend it, or overcome it in some way. But seeing ‗Ego‘ as a mental process, a system of thinking that I get caught in, suggests that I need to step out of that mode of thinking (to look at the world through a different lens, one less tainted by fear, insecurity and attachment). This is a much easier and more effective approach.
When I notice myself caught up in ‗Egoic Thinking,‘(4) rather than berating myself (or my imagined ‗Ego‘), I can notice what is going on and step back from it.
This doesn't mean I have eliminated that way of thinking. It will surely return.
And when it does, I can ‗choose‘ to step out of it again. ‗Transcending‘ (5) the Ego thus becomes an ongoing practice rather than a ‗far-off goal. ‘
FOOTNOTES
1. Wikipedia – I-ness;
2. Wikipedia – Selfish;
3. Wikipedia – Self;
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4. Wikipedia – Egoic Thinking; and 5. Wikipedia – Transcending.
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