Ego - the illusion having control

"Evil...I am not malevolent, I just simply AM."
Apocalypse

Your ego is just what you consider your identity. A child cries when you take away a toy because it identifies with it. The entire narrative in your head about who you are is ego. Anytime you take offense to anything it is because your identity is threatened.

Ego isn't a bad thing, nor it is even voluntary. Your thoughts happen to you. You will never get rid of your ego.

In Buddhism ego is the illusion of an independently arising and existing self. It is not a nihilistic view that "nothing exists," but rather the view of dependent origination.

For example a wave cannot exist independently of the ocean; it is not identical with the ocean or with other waves, but it is not completely seperate from them either. It arises from the ocean depths, is constantly changing, is subject to tides and pressure and other waves, exerts influence too on other things, then finally submerges back into the ocean.

The illusion that the wave has some kind of separate existence from the ocean and other waves, and the illusion that it is permanent, are like the illusion of ego. Since thus illusion does not correspond to reality, grasping at it causes pain and delusion.

Ego serves its purpose.

It encourages One to explore his Free Will, to reach for Growth, and to sustain Oneself.

And yet, it is true that within the illusion of all things, All is and always will be as it should be.


Funny thing Life is.

^_^