Oblivious, untested, unknowing, arrogant, violent, proud,
With ego we move forward in life, creating
all suffering, all the pain of existence in a nutshell;
All beings suffer because,
because we have not yet awakened,
and here we are as this nut in a nutshell,
taking up space, blocking the passage
for any and all who wish to return home,
a lunatic who thinks having a hard shell,
a dark place to reside, is somehow necessary
to our survival, this person, this arbitrary
creature we create, this nonsensical persona
we think is somehow important, not knowing,
not knowing that
this self is fabricated out of nothing
whatsoever, in a dark place
where pride is generated and enhanced,
where jealousy becomes this creepy eye
peering out from a dark box,
where we become so very attached
to things we think we must possess, even though
we can never really have anything,
where aversion to this and that
and the other thing
pushes us along, even though
we don’t know what that is,
where ignorance becomes champion over all;
We create this self, this ego,
for no apparent reason, though
it is not necessary,
it is not needed, even though
we are told to accept all the poisons, all
the poisons of mind we create,
all the nonsense that goes along with ego,
all the nonsense self wants us to perpetuate
as part of a nuanced identity crisis within a dream;
We are told ego must survive, if,
if we are to survive, even though
there is no evidence, no evidence whatsoever.
A poem by Robert Aho © 2025
Psychologists may tell you that ego is important, a necessary component of the human psyche that we must cultivate in order to survive, as well as to keep our life in balance. This rudimentary viewpoint has some validity; however, it generally ignores what happens to the world around us when we cultivate ego, along with this fictitious self we generate. It ignores such things as the location and Nature of Mind, the components that create self, as well as the ease that ego can get completely out of control. It also completely ignores the overarching reality of self and other, not understanding that self cannot exist independently of anything else.
To be fair, some psychologists are taking the next step with this knowledge; so, there is some good news in this regard. Understanding what self actually is might surprise people, especially those who simply assume that it is real. If you wish to discover a psychologist on the cutting edge of the study of mind, you need to find one who is in delving into the science and philosophy of Buddhism, someone who is not satisfied with simply accepting what they have been told, or what has been passed along, without first delving into the root of existence and the essence of mind. Western science has not yet come close to the wisdom that has already been explored and investigated many centuries ago by Buddhist masters, as well as Buddha Shakyamuni.
So, when I died, one of the fundamental discoveries that I made was that self was not really real, the way my ego insisted it must be. Self was completely eradicated for all time. All that remained was bright total awareness, and this lasted for an eternity. Now, don’t cling too much to these words, because it would be really easy to get the wrong idea. The reality of it all is far beyond any sort of meaning you might glean. The simple explanation is that self and ego completely disappeared, becoming fully replaced by eternal open awareness that transcended concept of any kind. Ignorance, or this idea of self and other, was annihilated.
When we shed this idea of a separate self, we begin to awaken. Logic and analytical thinking will only get us so far. The real investigation happens when we discover our Real Nature for the first time. After that, we delve into knowing through direct experience. We learn to become comfortable with this condition known as enlightenment. It takes practice.
Ego causes all of our suffering; and, it generates trauma. Awakening, on the other hand, releases our mind. Ego creates great limitations. Awakening unleashes our unlimited potentiality.
So, when people think that ego is a good thing, something we should cultivate in order to survive, my thought is that ego is really something that makes us completely helpless and vulnerable through the violence of not knowing. It turns our entire existence into something quite miserable.
People avoid awakening because they are afraid to let go. We ignorantly cling to this notion of self and other, not wanting to generate unlimited love and compassion for all. This is because we fundamentally do not understand the true nature of what we call existence. People mistakenly think love and compassion are a weakness, when, in reality, this is our greatest strength.
Ego is the sort of weakness that creates a ripple effect of tragedy. Think of the most egotistical people you know, then look at the suffering in their wake. This happens because of not knowing who we are, not caring to know. When, on the other hand, we engage in enlightenment mind, we cultivate altruism, we help end suffering.
Blessings in Light,
Robert Aho