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Re: ego
Dear Yashik
Hello. Hare Krishna!! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada!
>Haribol!
>
>I've begun a cyberdiscussion with a science student
>and he wants to know what the difference is between false ego, and
>real ego. How do I reply?
>
>Thanks
>
>Begging the mercy of the Vaisnavas
>the maha-patita
>
>
Ego means "I". So if we identify with the body, thinking I am an American, an
Australian, a man, a women, etc, then that is false ego -- false
identification. Real ego, or real identity is that we are eternaly servants of
God -- Krishna. So false ego is the bodily concept of life and the liberated
condition is the platform of real ego.
"False ego means accepting this body as oneself. When one understands
that he is not his body and is spirit soul, he comes to his real ego. Ego
is there. False ego is condemned, but not real ego. In the Vedic
literature (Krhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10) it is said, aham brahmasmi: I
am Brahman, I am spirit. This ``I am,'' the sense of self, also exists in
the liberated stage of self-realization. This sense of ``I am'' is ego,
but when the sense of ``I am'' is applied to this false body it is false
ego. When the sense of self is applied to reality, that is real ego. There
are some philosophers who say we should give up our ego, but we cannot
give up our ego, because ego means identity. We ought, of course, to give
up the false identification with the body." (From Srila Prabhupada's
"Bhagavad-gita As It Is" Chapter 13 texts 8-21 Purport)
Great to hear from you. Thanks for visiting my home page. Good luck with the
discussion with the science student... You might tell him that life comes from
life, that life doesn't come from chemicals... see what he thinks of that.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
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Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!