To repeat, humility creates an attitude of accepting a fact so important that it cannot be stated enough—the fact that the human mind cannot distinguish truth from falsehood.
This is a continuation of the previous post.
“I: Reality and Subjectivity” by David R. Hawkins, pp. 163–168
*Added 9/18/2022 KIN123: I was able to learn by listening.
[Q: Is the purpose of knowing the ego well to disarm it and open a path to acceptance?]
A:Trying to “overcome” the ego before understanding what it is triggers various negative emotions such as guilt and self-blame.This is the main reason why many people hesitate to begin spiritual work. Furthermore, people are afraid to be honest with themselves and project the bad aspects of the ego onto others or even onto God. Jealousy, retaliation, and favoritism are all qualities of the ego, not of God.
From a broader perspective, we can see that the ego is not “evil,” but essentially a self-centered creature.Unless you understand and accept your “animal self,” you cannot escape its influence. Like a pet, you can view your inner animal as comical and interesting without feeling guilty. And you can look forward to training and disciplining it well. This training is what the word “civilization” implies.
[Q: Why is it necessary to pay so much attention to the ego?]
A: Enlightenment is a gradual process.Spiritual growth can be facilitated by understanding the nature of the ego. The ego is not an enemy that must be attacked or defeated. It is not an evil to be repelled. It dissolves when understood with compassion.
Most failures in military and diplomacy arise from not researching the enemy sufficiently at the start. Many famous military leaders have regretfully admitted this. Napoleon and Hitler underestimated the Russians. Hitler also underestimated the resolve of the British. Stalin took German lies at face value, and Commander Yamamoto lamented after the Pearl Harbor attack that he had “awakened a sleeping lion.”
Therefore, what is desirable for a spiritual seeker is to know the structure of the ego well and to realize that it cannot be eliminated through denial or guilt.Interestingly, attachments of the ego can be mitigated by acceptance, knowing the other party well, and having compassion. Conversely, self-criticism, blame, fear, and shame strengthen the ego.
[Q: When viewed with compassionate eyes, the ego is no longer a formidable presence, is it?]
A:The ego is not the ultimate truth, but merely a tool for existence inherited from the animal world, so it is possible to transcend it.We can also see the ego in the emotional expressions of children. In other words, the ego is not only animalistic but also childlike.As Freud revealed through psychoanalytic techniques, the unconscious loses its power when brought into consciousness.
Anna Freud elucidated the ego's defense mechanisms.Through this, concepts regarding inhibition, repression, denial, projection, and other behaviors that direct instinctual impulses toward the self became well-known.We call the latent drives inherited from the animal world “id” in psychoanalytic terms. The control function of the “superego” (conscience) is formed by parents and society, and the conscious ego performs the function of adapting animal drives to society. The “ego ideal” is the ideal image of the self that the ego paints. This image includes a positive version of oneself identified with a hero, an ideal personality, and a spiritual ideal. The “persona” is the face the ego shows to society, which becomes what is known as personality.
Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung added a spiritual dimension to this paradigm of the psyche. Interestingly, Jung claimed that humanity inherited “what was given” in addition to animal drives. Jung also found commonalities within humanity and named them the “collective unconscious.” The collective unconscious can be known more through symbols than through concepts.
In later years, the elucidation of the self was studied more closely by “self psychology,” and the spiritual aspect has been further researched by “transpersonal psychology.”
Issues regarding our existence are addressed in “existential analysis,” and more advanced psychology is entering the important field of “humanity,” which philosophy had occupied for centuries.
[Q: Is it necessary to know all of this just to understand the ego?]
A: Not at all. I have only introduced here how much trouble humanity has gone through to try to know itself.Intellect has exerted this much effort to escape the domination of the ego.
[Q: Inferring from the information so far, it becomes clear that the intellect is not opposed to the ego, but is an evolved form of the ego.]
A: That is correct. The intellect is positioned at 400 and is a benefit to society. Science can be said to be a good example of this, looking at the great growth in medicine and technology.However, the intellect is a double-edged sword for humanity. While it saves people from dying of malaria, it invents nuclear weapons and poison gas.Whether it is particles or concepts, at the 400 level, it remains focused on form/matter or force.As long as one is directed toward things with form, one will inevitably face the limitations inherent in them, and no matter how much technology advances, one cannot go beyond them. The only way to transcend limitations is to go beyond form.And those who wish to advance to a world beyond form step into the non-linear realm. It is traditionally called the “spiritual” realm. Because a robust ego is persistent and strengthened everywhere, we must go beyond force and advance into the realm of power.
Things with form require great effort, but the benefit of power lies in the fact that it can be achieved quite easily and without any effort. Power has the unique characteristic of exerting a profound influence in quality rather than quantity.This is because it does not exist in the realm expressed by quantity.
Spiritual power can be likened to a catalyst that changes matter without being depleted itself. Even looking around us, a single word of "I'm sorry" can stop a war between nations.Most wars arise from energy fields of consciousness at the levels of greed, hatred, and pride. The antidote to pride is humility, which does not just mean being modest, but rather letting go of false pride and pretense and turning one's eyes toward a realistic assessment.Possessing true humility prevents one from "losing face" or becoming self-destructive later on.
Humility allows us to make accurate and realistic assessments and to become aware of our limitations and conditions. Intellect is not wrong, but it is not the appropriate tool for gaining higher spiritual awareness. However, a wise intellect seeks answers beyond its own awareness. This is a phenomenon also seen in the field of cutting-edge science, where attempts have been made in recent years to understand the characteristics of consciousness. Without consciousness, no significant progress can be made.
[Q: I understand that the ego is also a necessary stage for consciousness to evolve. However, after the world of form has been elucidated and thoroughly researched, is the next stage we move toward to go beyond form and explore its origins?]
A: That is a logical action. For the intellect, exploring things with form in physics, chemistry, astronomy, and cosmology has been extremely fascinating. The question humans then hold is where this universe was born and where it is going. In fact, this question represents another extremely important human animal instinct. It is curiosity. Animals have a habit of constantly searching instinctively to obtain food, mates, and shelter, and this has become an insatiable curiosity.The spirit of inquiry is an innate human habit, and its highest level becomes spiritual inquiry. And that gives rise to questions such as: Who am I, what am I, where did I come from, what are the origins and destiny of the self, what is God, and where is God?
[Q: Then wouldn't curiosity be beneficial for a spiritual seeker?]
A:If you have humility, curiosity becomes a useful servant.However, for a person without discernment, it can become a serious pitfall. Curiosity lures naive seekers into dead ends, causes unnecessary distractions and temptations, or in the worst cases, traps them in fatal snares. That is why we need a true teacher.To repeat, humility creates an attitude of accepting a fact so important that it cannot be stated enough—that fact being that the human mind cannot distinguish truth from falsehood. If this fact were false, there would be no wars in history, and various social problems, ignorance, and poverty would not have arisen.Humanity should have awakened long ago, and there is no reason why the level of consciousness should have remained at 190 for centuries.
[Q: Why have we become blind to the truth?]
A: Animals live in a world of form. The basic elements for survival are the body, food, and the ability to identify enemies. Therefore, the animal brain evolved in the direction of enhancing perceptual power. When we look beyond the content of the ego, we face a property that is extremely important for seekers who desire awakening.—It is the basic function of perception. This is an essential function for animals, but in the realm of consciousness, it has created duality. As a result, senses of place, direction, and time were born, all of which are essential for animals to survive.For example, to catch prey, a dualistic perception of "here" and "there" is required.However, once we became dependent on these senses, the limitations of things with form were born. Because the perception of space and distance arose, the ego became convinced that this perception represented the truth.
For animals, there was no reason to think that a higher truth existed beyond this. This is because all their needs were contained within the realm of form and content.However, when the ego learned to manipulate images in thought, humans began to evolve beyond just being animals.And images also became refined, allowing for the recognition of similarities and differences (analogies such as the classic right brain/left brain, digital/analog computers).
Now our forebrain has expanded to function like a complex computer capable of processing abstract concepts, symbols, and language. In fact, this forebrain was "added" to the old animal brain. Therefore, while this new brain has advantages, disadvantages have also arisen in relation to the old brain.Because there is no switch to disconnect these two brains, animal emotions such as fear, anger, and greed can enter into the intellect. Also, the intellect creates a series of images related to animal drives.
That is all for this time.
The previous article is here↓.
Have you heard of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve? It is said that we forget 42% after 20 minutes, 75% after 6 days, and 79% after one month.
Therefore, at the best timing, again and again. At that time,let us rejoice that every time you take a step forward, it benefits everyone. The spiritual dedication and activities performed by one person become a gift of life and love to all of humanity.I believe it is very important to have this consciousness.
By everyone wishing for the well-being of everyone else, the liberation of the Earth in love and light will accelerate.
Every person is already a being chosen by God, capable of standing in the position of an aware heart based on love.
Let's do it!