In Zen, our egos are not our true-selves, it’s merely a mental creation of ourselves. It’s the collection of our thoughts, our desires, our fears and our identities that our minds cling to as the “me” or “myself” or “I”. The ego is an empty idea of existence, we think we’re permanent, that we have souls or we’re going to continue living, as if there were no end. We cling to this idea because when we suffer, and to go on living is to continue suffering, we think everything’s alright. We think we’re supposed to suffer. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to suffer! You can let go of the ego, let go of the attachment to oneself, and be free. To enter enlightenment, we must understand that we are nothing.
What do I mean by nothing? Understand, dear reader, that I don’t mean that literally, of course, we are made up of stuff just like everything else in the natural world. We’re made up of organisms, atoms and so forth. I’m talking from a universal standpoint, we do not matter, our existence is the same as that far-away star you gaze at on a clear summer’s night.
Why Should We Get Rid of Our Egos?
The ultimate answer to this question is to obtain freedom. Our egos constantly want recognition and comfort and control. Your ego needs to be soothed, at all times, by yourself and others, in order to feel comfortable. Have you ever heard of the expression a bruised ego? When someone has their ego bruised they are showcasing their attachment to the self, they suffer mentally, and when that attachment is threatened they have an anxiety attack. When we loosen our attachment to the ego, we will experience life more calmly, more directly, because we will not consider judgment or self-centeredness. We will flow through life like a fish in water.
A great point to understand is that when we let our egos fade into obscurity, we finally begin to understand the interconnectedness to everything else around us. Nature is connected with you and you are connected to nature, it’s a symbiotic relationship. Your being is tied to others, to animals, to plants, and to the entire universe.
I give the example of the interconnectedness of our bodies frequently, and it applies here as well: think of the coordination of your body parts. Your brain relies on your heart to get the blood it needs, and your stomach provides the nutrients necessary to generate cells and so on. We have this same exact relationship with the earth and indeed the cosmos as a whole, because the universe is alive and we are living interconnected with it.
Finally, when we remove the ego and its incessant chatter, our minds become clear and open. Try to strip away the noise from your thoughts, eliminate the inner monologue and live in the moment, simply be present. Seriously, take some time to think of nothing. I don’t mean thinking of nothing, I mean just STOP, and have no thoughts, simply, and feel the earth around you. Feel the wind, or the sun on your skin, or hear the birds in the tree going about their lives. Live in that connection and be present.
Egos Are Not “Bad” but They Are Illusions
Despite our efforts our egos may rear themselves up, from time to time. So I want you to understand that I do not believe that egos are bad, rather, egos are an illusion that we are working to see through. When we can master disarming the illusion, and we are able to see past the subterfuge, then we can act with clarity, compassion and non-attachment.
“To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by the myriad things” – Dōgen, Japanese Zen Buddhist Master
The Western Idea of Ego
The Zen idea of ego goes against the western philosophy that they are necessary. According to Freud’s structural model of the psyche, the ego is not an illusion, but according to him, is a mediator. It balances the instincts and desires with moral restrictions of internalized values and conscience. Per Freud, he states its the ego’s job to navigate reality, to help us make rational choices and to maintain psychological stability. According to western culture, ego is functional and central to healthy identity.
“The ego represents what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the id, which contains the passions.” Freud, The Ego and the Id, 1923
As we can see, there are opposing views here. Freud’s ideas, and indeed Western culture’s view of superior egos is what draws many people, including myself, to Zen philosophy. This blog and my approach to this issue is to strike a balance between the two ideas, where we can understand our culture and ourselves better, so that we may experience more positive interactions with nature and our communities. Next, I will go into how we can balance these two ideas.
Living Beyond the Ego
As we discussed, the ego, or the self, is a large part of western culture. Society in the west tells us to go find ourselves, or be somebody of value. Freud classifies the ego as essential, as a helping hand that navigates us between raw instinct and the reality we face everyday. It’s a common thought that without a strong ego, we may be swept up by impulses or trapped in guilt.
In contrast, Zen discusses that the ego is not the true self, but an illusion, a collection of thoughts, desires, and identities that trick us into thinking we’re separate from nature.
If you take away one thing it’s this: liberation comes from loosening our grips on attachment, not from strengthening our egos.
The ego should be treated as a tool, or a servant, and not a master. Clinging to an ego creates suffering, but western culture has us needing it to navigate reality. We need to seek a balance, so we should use the ego as a tool for daily life. For example, we should use it to plan, make decisions and also to mediate, so we can remember the ego is not who we truly are. Identifies like parent, worker, leader can be embraced but do so lightly, knowing that those titles are temporary rather than permanent truths.
Here are some daily practices for balance:
- Meditate: Identify and notice ego (monologue) chatter without believing it
- Journal or Therapy: Strengthen your rational self-reflection
- Mindful Consumption: Buy less for status, more for joy or need
- Goal-setting: Use ambition to build, but detach from the illusion that goals define you
We don’t need to abandon our western culture to live more into Zen, instead we can weave the two together. Strengthen the ego to navigate the world, and loosen your grip on the ego to understand the true nature of our lives.
Who Are You?
This is a very common question in Zen. People often start seeking answers to these questions: Who am I? Why are we here? That sort of thing.
When you ask yourself these questions, what are your answers?
I would hazard a guess that you’re going to describe yourself in a very-western way. My name is Ryan, I am a husband, I work in the insurance industry, and so on and so forth. This is not who I truly am.
Really, I am nothing, and I’m enjoying life. I had some eggs today (fresh from the backyard), which were quite tasty, and I’ll probably play with my dog later.
Very good read, Ryan! I’m learning a lot from your blogs. 🙂
Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Glad you liked it