EGO IS NOT NECESSARY
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DROP AHANKAR AND MAMAKAR (OUTER iMAGE AND iNNER iMAGE)
Ego is not necessary.
Just understand this one simple
truth. In order for an animal to
breathe, it does not need ego, it
does not need an identity or any
character. But as a human being,
you are afraid that if you drop
your identity you will not be able
to use your body. You fear that
something bad will happen to it.
You are afraid that if you drop
your identity, your body will not
function smoothly.
You have an idea about yourself
as 'I am somebody's father, I am
somebody's brother, I am
somebody's son.' This idea that
you have, this identity that you
carry, this ego that you carry, is
not necessary for the smooth
functioning of your body and
mind. Of course it is very difficult
to believe this. Ahankar and
mamakar - outer world identity
and inner world identity We all
have two identities, the identity
we project to the outer world,
and the identity we believe to be
us in the inner world.
The identity you carry inside
your mind is called mamakar in
Sanskrit. It will always be much
smaller than what you really are.
You carry or remember all your
failures, past mistakes and guilt
and constantly try to work on
them. This identity that you
carry in the inner world is
based on greed. You constantly
try to chisel your identity to
become better.
The identity you project to the
outer world is called ahankar.
Ahankar is your visiting card. You
print everything that you want
others to know about you on this
card. It will always be more than
what you have and what you are
because you think you have to sell
yourself. It becomes a basic need,
especially in societies where you
have to market yourself. There is a
fear compelling you to project
yourself as more than what you are.
Ahankar is based on a superiority complex.
Mamakar is based on an inferiority
complex. Ahankar is based on fear,
mamakar is based on greed. If you
spend all your energy trying to
expand the ahankar, the identity that
you project to the outer world, then
your life becomes materialistic. If you
spend your whole life chiseling and
developing mamakar, the identity
that you think is you, your whole life
becomes moralistic and suppressed.
When you project to the outer world,
you project yourself based on the
strongest link of the chain. When
you measure yourself inside your
mind, you measure yourself based
upon the weakest link of the chain.
The conflict between ahankar and mamakar, the conflict between the personality that you show to the outer world and the personality that you reveal in your inner world is called ‘tension’. You constantly spend your life trying to protect these two identities. When they start growing, they start fighting with each other and giving you trouble. It is like marrying two women at the same time and living with both of them at once! These two identities are purely illusions. You are something far more than these two identities that you carry around constantly.
Freedom from these two identities is
what I call liberation, enlightenment,
moksha, nirvana. Whatever words you
may use, it is nothing but liberation
from these two identities. These two
identities are bondage. When you
understand that you are something
beyond these two identities, you are a
jeevan mukta, liberated while living.
GOALS
To make them understand that ego is not necessary and to cause them to be inspired to drop Ahankar and Mamakar.
