Ego-less?

[Everything]

I've thought about how to speak about this subject, but I guess I can't translate it into words, since it feels so much like an inner practice that can't be shared. I do hope someone can relate to this, in anyway possible, so that we can share knowledge about it. Perhaps there are words out there for what I'm trying to describe, but I have not found them yet. So I'll try to describe how it feels like to have this thing, and what happens when you have this mysterious thing going for ya. Some people say it is enlightenment, but I don't think its that. So, sorry for the messy texts here. I'm clearly not educated enough about this subject and over-experienced. So take what you want from it to identify the following experience or state of mind I'm trying to describe.

 

Feels like:

Great, joy, motivated, powerful, unstoppable, succesfull, confident. Imagination is rising from all over the place, your own sense of humor makes you laugh histerically, let alone others. So much positive energy, you require a valve to let it all out, wether it is screaming out of joy, or spreading love for no reason all over the place and have people look at you in weird ways, but they like it. Your positive energies are contagious, but do not make any sense at all in intellectual ways and are hard to translate even into words. Only trough a made up story of words made up by me during one of these experiences can someone vaguely experience this intellectually.

 

This happens:

Only happened few times in my life, imagination becomes extremely powerfull. You seem to become a genius in everything you focus your energies on. Wether it be explaining a thing in the most beautiful way, coming across attractively, being funny, writing stories that are compelling, creating music that is emotionally compelling and beautifull. Sometimes you think it is simply excitement, but being excitement my imagination is not so powerful and trueful, inspiring, etc. It is some harmony of mind, reaching max potential of mind, the energies can be channelled into all kinds of physical, intellectual or emotional actions. I've tested it, the more you focus it the more powerful it becomes. One thing I've noticed is that it only can happen when I feel great joy, and never when I feel neutral or normal or simply content. Or perhaps it is a side effect to feel joy. The energies feel great. Basicly, what happens is obviously not normal in a way that great things happen effortless and naturally. It is too powerful to call it a regular experience or coincidence. I've tested this specific experience on its capabilities like a scientists test rats in a laboratory.

 

My idea is this: This "thing" seems to rise from not just a deep place, but it is something that is the effect of having your entire brain and consciousness cooperate in a harmonious way, reaching its full potential. Your brain is not on full capacity but on full efficiency whatever you do. Also your mind gets a great sense of timing, when you do something stupid, you do it on such a perfect timing that is no longer is stupid. Weird to explain. It is like turning anything into gold. It only happens when you completely forget your identity, and become whatever you want or feel like becoming in that moment, kinda like not having an ego what Dr. Wayne describes so often. I've always felt like Dr. Wayne Dyer is one person who lives with this thing naturally, all the time, but I can't seem to reproduce it like him. I know it is "something" but I've never been able to reproduce this state of mind on intend alone. It seems to require great luck, and the effects can last a day, or longer as long as you don't sleep or loose the "thing". When focus is lost, the experience is lost aswell and the power is gone in the wind. When you stop using it, it seems to fade away aswell. It is so thin and vague, like a lucid dream. Coming out of no where, going to nowhere from which it came. Perhaps nothingness is the feeling itself. You relate to nothing, and thus everything. I've noticed how Dr. Wayne Dyer is sometimes trying to explain it, thats how I got interested in him for a while. Especially when he talks about forgetting to label things. We all know that labelling is very important for communication and science and stuff, but to get this experience you must forget labelling. Sometimes you filter your own actions because you label the action and then disapprove of the label, thus refraining from the action all together. One time I dropped the fear of letting go of this ego and labelling stuff, resulting in experiencing the thing again. I wrote that down emmediatly when it occured, that it was notable that before it occured I was trying to let go of the fear of not labelling. But it doesn't always work, it is hard to let go of labelling, that requires a practice on itself and alot of courage aswell. Sometimes it requires of you to do something very scary before the fear of "letting go of labelling" goes truely away. I mean, it requires you to follow your heart for no freakin' reason at all, without the thoughts and intellectual minds interfering at all. It is like function from your egoless soul.

 

I've never done weed, sigarets, alcohol or any drugs in my life, so I don't know how the experience may relate to these things. I do remember everything that happens during these experience, I even wrote about it when some occured, for my self, so that I may try to recall it even better.

No matter what I do, I can never recall the emotional values that come into play during these experiences. This is one of the most notable things. For example, when I'm having this experience, I feel like another person, a great person. But I don't forget "my usual self" or my "ego self" while being this person. And looking at this usual self from the egoless self is weird. I don't loose my memory functioning in anyway during this experience, so even after it I can recall the experience itself, but when my usual ego self is returned my line of thoughts are totally diffrent and cannot be related to the person or non-person that I am during the experience. The reason I think I become like that during the experience, because I feel like thats naturally the best way to be. So I don't think it is a double personality or something, I recall every moment of these experiences. But I can never recall the emotion, or try to empathize towards this past self. It is nothing. I can't relate to it because it has no ego. It is so hard to explain that you cannot relate to yourself when you are experience some thing that cannot be related to... WTF.. Perhaps a true ego-less state of mind?

 

Are there any more commonly used terms for this that you think describes it best? I know that nothing is what its named after is the way to go for this thing, but labelling this experience will help alot in the communication of it with others, and perhaps even practice to reproduce it more effectively or quickly so that I may return the favor one day and learn it to others. I don't expect much of an answer, so feel free to comment in anyway. If you think I've totally lost my mind, I assure you all is sane up here. Well, I do find it weird aswell... But wonderfull. So I share.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Everything

[Marblehead]

Well, I will first say that I am happy for you in that you have attained this state a couple times in your life.

 

I think I can honestly say that I have never attained such a state even though it sounds like it would be really fun.

 

I am just too much of a conservative for something like that to happen in my life.

 

Enjoy it whenever you can.

[Everything]

Well, I will first say that I am happy for you in that you have attained this state a couple times in your life.

 

I think I can honestly say that I have never attained such a state even though it sounds like it would be really fun.

 

I am just too much of a conservative for something like that to happen in my life.

 

Enjoy it whenever you can.

You know, you really demand more organization from a person. Let me try to be more ordered here with my text.

A conservative or not conservative is not what we are, or not an accurate description of our selves.

Besides, you have a right brain, so your believes can change, no matter how strong they are. They can always change. Nothing is unchanging, not even the biggest truth on earth. But it certainly aint wrong to have strong faith, I respect that. Even though I have no idea what conservatism actually is or how this relates to that in anyway. So, let us continue. Perhaps I can give you a more abstract description of my experience, so that you might relate to it more easily.

 

The following is from a documentary by Reese Leysen:

"A scientific view on what we are would be:

a momentary expression of an ever-changing unity with no center.

 

The psychological consequences of this as an objective belief system allow self-awareness without attachment to the imagined self, causing dtramtic increases in mental clarity, social conscience, self-regulation and what's often described as 'being in the moment'.

 

The common cultural belief has mostly been that we need a narrative, a diachronic view on our life, to establish moral values. But with our current understandings of the empathic and social nature of the brain, we now know that a purely scientific view, with no attachement to our identity or 'story', yields a far more accurate, meaningful and ethical paradigm than our anecdotal values.

This is logical, since our tradition tendency to define ourselves as imaginary individualisitc constants neurally wires and designs the brain towards dysfunctional cognitive processes, such as compulsive labeling and the psychological need to impose expectations.

 

Practical labeling underpins all forms of interactions in our daily lives. But by psychologically labeling the self as internal and the environment as external, we constrain our own neurochemical processes and experience a deluded disconnection.

 

Growth and its evolutionary side-effects, such as happiness and fulfilment, are stimulated when we are not being labeled in our interactions. We may have many different views and disagree with one another in practical terms, but interactions that nevertheless accept us for who we are, without judgement, are neuropsychological catalists that wire the human brain to acknowledge others and accept rationally verified belief systems without dissonance. Stimulating this type of neural activity and interaction alleviates the need for distraction or entertainment and creates cycles of constructive behaviour in our environment."

 

So lets not call it ego-less.

When you're 'in the moment' the side effects are great, plus you can accept diffrent realities quicker, and thus blend in more quickly. Your short-term memory expands like you've just came from a cold shower. You no longer have single choices in present moments, but your mind perceives several options in every interaction, it perceives more potential. That is what I was talking about. Have you never 'been in the moment'? I mean extremely been there.

This being in the moment, the energies I was talking about, when you understand it to be an expansion of short-term working momeroy, you understand how seeing more potential is like an energy that can be channeled. Since you can see more potential when creating music, more potential in a conversation, more potential while writing a story.

 

All I know is that Dr. Wayne Dyer is the worst translator of this experience on earth. He tries to teach it trough poets and old saying, but that doesn't mean he cannot experience it, that is why I mentioned Dr. Wayne Dyer and his wacky, way out there, philosophies. They seem to have artistic value, and thus teach us about authenticity.

It is not like you have not experienced 'being in the moment' either. We don't just be in the moment from one time and not be in it the other. Its more like a scale from 1 to 10, where you might be in 2 your whole life without noticing, and suddenly moving towards 9 only to witness how powerful it is. Not only that, happiness and joy is just a side-effect, so if you've ever felt more happy then usual, good chances that you were experiencing this 'in the moment'. It is not some magical thing if you don't want it to be.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Everything

[aridus]

I find, that when I speak of ego, or even think of it, I latch onto it, and it blocks me.

 

I've spent considerable time in my life trying to deal with this block. Only recently have I begun to make significant progress.

 

I have learned, that since I when think of ego, I try to hold onto it for dear life, when I purposely try to get out of it, the exact opposite happens. I try to hold onto it for dear life. Why? Because I thought of ego by thinking about removing it.

[Everything]

I find, that when I speak of ego, or even think of it, I latch onto it, and it blocks me.

 

I've spent considerable time in my life trying to deal with this block. Only recently have I begun to make significant progress.

 

I have learned, that since I when think of ego, I try to hold onto it for dear life, when I purposely try to get out of it, the exact opposite happens. I try to hold onto it for dear life. Why? Because I thought of ego by thinking about removing it.

Interesting...

Indeed, the ego returns, so we cannot permanently remove it. The ego just represents our limited awareness. We will have to excersize daily, and meditate daily in order to expand our awareness enough, untill a moment where you can say that we no longer have an 'ego'. One night of sleep results in a full day of practice being lost. Its really hard.

 

What this means is that our awareness is so stretched, that we see so much potential, that a personal label would only limit our minds and actions. That is why it is an ongoing practice to let go of the 'state of mind with an ego' as quickly as we can every morning. So that our days become more fruitful. But the experiences I've had were extreme. So extreme that it seemed like dementia or something. The potentials you witness are so varied and many that it seems like you have infinite choice, that you pick the perfect one each time, that everything you want happens. That is how it feels, but thats not how it is ofcourse. Obviously... I would say that I function about 400% more efficient when being in the moment, maybe more. You cannot imagine the perfect timing my ideas tend to have when entering my mind and that is the most notable of all when 'being in the moment'. If I could enjoy this experience at will I would be able to achieve great things with least effort. So funny how the least effort is the most powerful way to go...

 

I've tried real hard to achieve the things I have during one of these experiences, and I can never do it, no matter how much effort I put it. So I cannot be excused for yielding and giving in to the fact that I'll have to reach a higher state of awareness before I will have a shot reaching higher potentials.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Everything

[aridus]

Interesting...

Indeed, the ego returns, so we cannot permanently remove it. The ego just represents our limited awareness. We will have to excersize daily, and meditate daily in order to expand our awareness enough, untill a moment where you can say that we no longer have an 'ego'. One night of sleep results in a full day of practice being lost. Its really hard.

 

What this means is that our awareness is so stretched, that we see so much potential, that a personal label would only limit our minds and actions. That is why it is an ongoing practice to let go of the 'state of mind with an ego' as quickly as we can every morning. So that our days become more fruitful. But the experiences I've had were extreme. So extreme that it seemed the least effort is the most powerful way to go...like dementia or something. The potentials you witness are so varied and many that it seems like you have infinite choice, that you pick the perfect one each time, that everything you want happens. That is how it feels, but thats not how it is ofcourse. Obviously... I would say that I function about 400% more efficient when being in the moment, maybe more. You cannot imagine the perfect timing my ideas tend to have when entering my mind. If I could enjoy this experience at will I would be able to achieve great things. So funny how

 

I once asked some people this: "If a human mind could perceive everything in the universe, would it go insane?"

 

I've messed myself up by forcing things at the wrong time. Getting answers that I was not ready for. It gave me psychosis, defined as "losing sense of reality". It made me afraid, but only because I wasn't ready for it. I had a problem with what I thought was "reality" not being "real". I had a problem with the fact that I could even end up questioning it at all. It blew my mind.

 

I think our mind places limits on us for good reason. Some things we really aren't ready for.

[Otis]

Good post, Everything. The state that you're describing is very familiar, and is what I refer to, when I use the word 'wu wei'.

 

Like you wrote about the "scientific view", I think that the human brain is a cluster of functions, that has the potential for acting as a unitary, balanced consciousness. Most of the time, however, we mistake a small portion of our brain as "me", and act as if the other parts of my brain (including my emotions, my desires, my imagination) are somehow less "me". But I don't think there's any logical reason to believe that some parts are more "me" than others; they're all just bundles of neurons, inside the same head.

 

The experience you describe is what I think of as the "unitary consciousness". This is when everything lines up, and the various parts of the brain work together as a seamless team. I think this is what Einstein was talking about with the 5%/95% usage of our brains.

 

One of my favorite analogies is a puptent. When a puptent is working correctly, it is very efficient. Extremely light-weight materials balance each other out perfectly to create a robust and unified structure. However, if any tent pole or rope is out of place, then the tent slumps to one side, and works poorly, if at all. Likewise with my brain. If I insist on believing in the "me"-ness of the ego (language-speaking) clusters of neurons, then I will always be divorced from the other parts of my brain that usually don't speak English. I will see those other functions as somewhat alien, as being mischievous "tricksters" or even as enemies. But if I stop believing in "me", and start accepting the other parts, then the structure seems to come together on its own, without me making anything happen.

[aridus]

Very good way of putting it, Otis.

[Marblehead]

You know, you really demand more organization from a person. ...

 

Hi Everything,

 

Thanks for taking the time to further express yourself.

 

Yes, I know how to be 'present in the moment'. No problem there.

 

And I have had my 'spiritual' experiences in life. (Sometimes more than I wanted. Hehehe.)

 

But ego-less? No. "I" have always been there. It was "I" who had these experiences.

 

What I meant by 'conservative' is that I am predominately left-brained. That is just the way I am. Can't change that - it is a physical reality.

 

Oh, sure, I have the ability to imagine. But I know that when I am doing this it is nothing more than imagination and not part of any reality outside my own mind. This is why I can never be a religious person. It is even really hard for me to be a 'spiritual' person. That is why Native American spirituality is the only path I follow to any degree. I can associate much of this spirituality with the realities of nature that I see in my everyday life.

 

As to the labels I put on myself, I do this only for the purpose of trying to help others understand why my thoughts are as they are when I speak. I have many labels I use at different times. I like my "Optimist" label. Of Course, I love my "Philosophical Taoist" label.

 

There are many people on this planet who are right-brained. That's wonderful. Most of the arts come from these people. I'm just not one of them. Sorry.

 

But as to the experiences you speak to, sure, I have experienced most of them. Afterall, I do have peace and contentment in my life now. But my feet remain firmly touching the ground. I have gone flying (in my mind) only once in my life and that was when I was listening to the song "Season Of The Witch". I spaced out! Hehehe.

 

So I make no judgement on left-brain/right-brain mental functioning. Those are simply facts of life.

 

But when I have an experience it is always "I" who is having the experience. Just the way I am.

[Marblehead]

I just had some more thoughts on this right-brain/left-brain concept I will share.

 

I cannot create music, I love music and listen to it often and I listen to many different styles of music. I can imagine the imaginations of the artists.

 

I cannot draw a picture of a pretty flower. I have gardens in my front yard and grow flowers. I can create the pictures in the only way I can.

 

I cannot swin through life like a fish. I have fish ponds and keep fish and watch them flow through life. I can share in their careless flowing through life.

 

I think that these, as well as other activities, are things I do in my life to suppliment the short-comings of my right-brain. My left brain has me doing things that suppliment this short-coming so that I still have a balance between left/right mentality.