Our last meeting was to discuss chapter 3 which was about the core of the ego. We had a great turn out for the meeting and it was great to see some new faces around the table. In this chapter Eckhart describes the egoic mind as the idea that there is a sense of self, of I, in every thought, opinion, viewpoint, reaction, and emotion. We think of the ego as what tells us to react, when to react, and how to react. Also everyone's ego has been shaped differently based on their individual life experiences although underneath the surface we are all the same. Eckart believes that the ego thrive on identification and seperateness.
We discussed the fact that the ego strengthens itself by complaining, judging, and resenting others. I don't think anyone at the table admitted to having an issue with complaining but obviously we have all experienced it and no matter how awakened still do it.. But we did discuss the fact that often when we complain about others we are actually misinterpreting them or possibly even criticizing them about something that we ourselves do. We discussed the example from the bible when Jesus says "why do you see the speck in your brothers eye, but you do not see the log that is in your eye?" We all agreed that we need to be more "aware" and "concious" about how often we complain, resent, or criticise and think about what we are trying to gain from these thoughts.
Sam brought up a technique that she is trying to not say "I or me" when speaking to try and be more aware of the ego. Eckhart says that awareness and ego can not coexist. Eckart calls this personalizing, where you turn something into a mental position. The ego is a master of selective perception and distorted interpretation. The ego wants us to believe that our belief system is right and all the others are wrong. We all felt very strongly that religions do this as well races, nations etc., collectively. We talked about recognising in others when they are speaking (acting) from the ego so that we can reduce our defensiveness.
One of the other topics that we discussed was the war mind-set. Jennifer asked the question what are we supposed to do if someone attacks us or our loved ones? Even though eckhart warns of becoming what you are fighting we all agreed that we would still choose to defend ourselves. I think that tolle is talking about the bigger picture addressing this topic but this would be worth talking more about. This also ties into the ego's need to feel superior which is possibly where we could pick up at our next meeting. Thank you all for participating and I look forward to reading what you have to add to this summary. Michelle
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One of the techniques I came across to overcome the ego, or step out of the mind, is a meditation where you focus on a part of your body that is moving. For example, while walking one can bring their attention to the feet and legs as they move. Or focusing on the movement of air while breathing as it enters your nostrils. I've adapted this to the elliptical machine I work out on at the healthclub. I bring attention first to the lower body as it does the ski moves, then at the arms as they go forward and back. The point is that the mind get used to focusing on something, repeatedly as in any other exercise. I find it is getting much easier to step out of the thinking loop.
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