To: K-list
Recieved: 2004/05/15 01:47
Subject: [K-list] definition of ego
From: Djamelbensmaia
On 2004/05/15 01:47, Djamelbensmaia posted thus to the K-list:
Selon David Bozzi <david.bozziATsofthome.net>:
Hi David, List,
>
> Ego is undefinable.
Why couldn't we define ego? For instance, I would think the common definition
of ego says it's a certain
mechanism that evolved conscious beings like us humans came up with to
intentionnally ignore reality in order to fulfill illusory desires; a very
intelligent and complex auto-deceptive mechanism, that creates and perpetuates
illusion.
Because ego doesn't exist doesn't mean it cannot be defined. You can define
"lie", "illusion";
On the other hand, I think it's also safe to say that ego, as it is linked to
desire, and
associated with basic survival issues, pain, pleasure, life and death, and so
on, is more largly a
characteristic of all limited life forms: men, insects, even bacteria, display
ego;
consequently, it is evident that besides being the major pain in the --- of
yogis and such, it is and has been primarily a most precious survival
mechanism, scientists can therefore study it, and give their own definition, in
scientific terms, of what spirituality has called "ego", and vice versa.
It seems it's only when man began _searching_ for reality, _choosing_ freely
between wrong and right, illusion and reality, the world and God, that ego
finally appeared as a possibly problematic, and a rather regressive, simian,
state of
being and functionning,which makes it perhaps more precious to us still, since
the observation of ego's limitation and shortcomings gave birth to the notion
of non-ego, the path, liberation, you name it..
All that to say, IMO, it _can_ be defined; what _can not_ be defined are
terms like "unity", "existence", because nothing we add to these terms could
help us get a clearer idea of their meaning; from a strictly philosophical -
logical - standpoint, those are the only circumstances where definitions are
useless.
Djamel
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