The Core of Ego

A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, Chapter 3 Section 1

This is one of my favorite ways to illustrate the ego.

In this first section of this chapter, we begin to get to the core of Eckhart’s teachings about the ego. Here he speaks of how we are constantly interpreting the world through the lens of “I” or the ego. The way I see the world is different than how you see it; we aren’t even sure that we see the same when we talk of color, let alone how the world works. It’s as if I see the world through the filter of Rylla; the time I was born, where I was born, the influences around me and my experiences color what I see, and you experience it through your own lens. All good until we try and decide who is right. ;-) Soon as I am in that battle my ego is fully engaged, which is what it believes it needs to survive. Turns out that luckily is not true, but we’ll get to that.

If I am unaware of the filter through which I see the world then I am unconscious. I believe I am right in all that I see, all that I think. My beliefs, formed according to so many factors, all affect my filter. I am connected to my ego, my thoughts of how life is, should be, connected to social class political, racial, national, religious leanings and other allegiances.

Now Eckhart invites us to open our eyes and be aware of our own egoic filter. And a most interesting part is that egos, at their core, are much the same. They operate in the field of attachment, and identification and separation. Let’s figure that out in laymen’s terms.

When I am unconscious, unaware, I live as if I am my ego. And in order for my ego to be strong, I must compare to make myself different than you. Often, I go looking for what isn’t working, what is wrong with you, with the world.

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Jesus, as quoted in A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle

Why do we do this? Because when I criticize someone or something, I feel bigger, superior. Actually any comparison creates separation. Even if I think I am less than you, I am creating difference and separation in a judgmental way, so that’s my ego. So when I feel less than, feel sorry for myself and my situation, I know my ego has kidnapped my brain.

We seem to (perhaps now more than in a long while) love finding what’s wrong and pointing it out to well, thanks to social media, lots and lots of people.

Sometimes it feels to me we are more indignant than ever, although I can’t know that is true; if I think I know that it is now worse than ever I can know my ego’s firing away again!

Regardless it’s easy to find ourselves criticizing. THIS SHOULDN’T BE LIKE THIS! Or, SHE OUGHT NOT BEHAVE THIS WAY! We contrast and complain and feel superior for it. We feel kinda good for finding another’s faults.

But the feeling is short-lived and needy. It always needs more. And so we search for what’s wrong, complain and gather others around us who feel the same.

So every ego is continuously struggling for survival, trying to protect and enlarge itself.

Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth

So, we can begin to notice (not so easy), and pat ourselves on the back whenever we do notice. Aha, there goes my ego again! The good news is that there are ways to begin to do this, to awaken from the fog of the ego and begin to tap down into our deeper wiser core self.

More to study, learn on that as we continue. Next section is called Complaining and Resentment. And oh is it eye-opening. I’ll be writing about that one soon!

I teach yoga and mindfulness online and in Basel, Switzerland.

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