Q3: Big and small egos?
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Here is now Question 3:
“Are there big egos and small egos, or are all egos the same?”
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Please make your answers short and clearly understandable.
September 15th, 2007 at 7:43 am
I actually asked Amma this question once and She said: “The ego is like a thief, it adjusts to circumstances.” Then, She gave the example of how nicely a thief acts at a police station, and how differently he will act when he has the opportunity to steal…
ammasahalya Says:September 15th, 2007 at 10:28 am
It depends in which mood the reply is given. If we are hurt, then others have big egos and we small, if we are happy then no one has ego….
indu Says:September 15th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Probably it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the large or small thing (ego; vasana) is what keeps us from attaining God.
savitri Says:September 15th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
In other words chameleon.
pavinova Says:September 15th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Ego is ego, I don’t think, that the size matters. What matters is, to which extend we obey to its self-centered and fear-based commands. It will never cease to exist, but the less we identify with it, the less it will disturb our inner peace - and the peace of those around us!
chetana Says:September 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
The ego adjusts to circumstances, sometimes is small, sometimes is big,
Prabha Says:I believe the size doesn’t matter, what matters that it is there. It holds us back, keeps us away from eternal love and peace, may AMMAS love and grace help us all to get rid of it.
September 15th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I think people and their egos are at different stages & development in their sadhana and as we do our practices and be connected to Amma, our egos subside and humility takes place which leads to compassion & love. Then we can be like Amma, a friend to all living creatures.
thasmini Says:September 15th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
all egos the same
Swati Says:September 15th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Actually i recall one of Amma’s satsang .. in that Amma stated how does ego peep in and out .. when we are in the situations which tend to be our way .. we feel ohh thats it now i dont have any ego .. and i have always experienced a different thing happeneing whenever am with Amma… the “ego” is naturally brought out, so we know that the ego is there but is hiding .
sripati Says:September 16th, 2007 at 1:05 am
From a spiritual perspective, one could say that the small egos are those who have done much Tapas, or through Divine Grace, are a bit closer to Divinity.
marcie Says:Then there’s a cultural interpreation - those with small egos are timid and weak. Those with big egos are conceited and condescending.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:35 am
When i think about what separates me from the Divine, then i would say ego is ego, but when I think of the consequences of ego in our world in issues like war and enviroment, then i would say there are greater degrees of ego that causes great pain for others. So to be honest i truly do not know the answer to this question.
Krishnalila Says:September 16th, 2007 at 4:18 am
It doesn’t matter. Like a poisenous spider, no matter how big or small it is, it’s still deadly. An ego is an ego, and no matter how big or small it is, it will still keep us from realizing God.
ur2137 Says:September 16th, 2007 at 6:36 am
Small or big is a relative term. An ego is an ego. The challenge is recognizing my ego and admitting it. As Amma has said, it is like a thief - it sneaks up!
michele Says:September 16th, 2007 at 8:08 am
any ego is too big
pranada Says:September 16th, 2007 at 8:39 am
if i think that my ego is small, that means that my ego is probably very big.
momsfeet Says:September 16th, 2007 at 11:32 am
What is “ego”?
vijaykumar pahalajani Says:The Answer is Quite Simple- It is nothing but the “the enemy within,” the key ingredient to The Problem of Life “the root of all evil, the enemy of a genuine spiritual life.”……So what is the big difference- Big or Small ? An Evil is an Evil ” let it be - Big or Small “…
September 16th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Two women, one is nine days pregnant and the other is nine months pregnant. One cannot say, one is more pregnant than other. The only difference is, with first one it does not show, while with second one it shows. Ego is the same, big or small.
saleena Says:September 16th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
In the beginning of spiritual journey the ego can be very big, like a thick cloud, and it is easy to notice. If we work very hard, little by little it gets thinner and not so easy to see. At that point one might think he has no ego at all, but it is still there..
AMMAKALI Says:September 16th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
From what has been explained about ego by many a learned souls, ego is identification with ‘me’ or ‘mine’, which could mean any object, feeling, person, situation that we consider belongs to us. So rather than big or small ego it could also be degree of ‘me’ or ‘mine’ flavour in our identifiaction.
Amma Dasi Says:September 16th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Sometimes it feels big, sometimes it feels small. But for me it feels bigger when I feel its heaviness.
Sukanya Says:September 16th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I think the point is to use our ‘egos’ in the manner which Amma prescribes in order to eliminate our egos. A sense of ’self’ is necessary to function in the world.
Veena Venugopal Says:September 17th, 2007 at 12:31 am
BIG ego or small ego both are enemies
vandana Says:September 17th, 2007 at 12:39 am
An ego is an ego, it hardly matters whether it is big or small, and the main thing is that it’s the direct way to ones destruction.
maalanair Says:September 17th, 2007 at 7:31 am
Small or big is the same. Even the smallest ego stands in the way of reaching God; so we have to be aware of both forms and nip it in the bud so that we can always have Amma’s grace to remove ego
Girish Says:September 17th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Small and Big egos are same. Irresptive of the size, if it is effecting self and the lives of others it is equally harmful.
ammasnimmy Says:September 17th, 2007 at 10:07 am
don’t know! only AMMA knows
silentyogi Says:September 17th, 2007 at 10:40 am
small ego is as big as big ego
padma07 Says:September 17th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
We don’t know who we truely are (ignorant). So we say - “I am this body, I am this mind, I am this intellect” (mistaken identity). Our identification with this “ownership” thought manifests as Ego. Nobler and Higher the object of identification smaller gets the ego. Baser and lowly the object of identification fatter gets the ego. Now you decide if it is same or not. I am going to attach it to Bhagwan..and let Amma do the rest !
Karishma Says:September 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Ego is our enemy.
n.ravindran Says:September 17th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
ego is taboo and untouchable. hence ego is abhorable in all sizes / forms.
cbsuresh Says:September 17th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Certain egos are just results of a thought process in an individual’s mind and this may not cause any harm to others, but surely will be an obstacle in one’s spritual progress. There are other types of Egos that could cause great harm to others around the individual and this is very dangerous. Therefore I feel all Egos are not of similar nature…
juma Says:September 17th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
How do we measure ego by the way??
ammakuttan Says:Any form that it exists within is harmful
September 17th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
only Ammachi knows!
sudhir161 Says:September 17th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Maybe, when we give undue importance to ourselves, the small ego becomes big.
sujatha Says:September 17th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
My perception of smaller egos would be the most obvious ones viz. what is visible on a grosser level i.e. feeling good about one’s position, wealth, beauty etc. The tougher and maybe bigger egos are the more subtle ones like those relating to the mental level where folks control or manipulate people to achieve self-oriented goals (E.g. Shakuni’s methods in mahabharata) or even those related to feeling great of one’s spiritual strengths. So yes flavours of big and small egos exist in the way it is displayed.
Usha Rajan Says:September 18th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
I think ego is very very dangerous big or small. All the poblems that are created is due to this ego. Big or small ‘ego’ creates division or ‘dwaitabhavam’
monia Says:September 18th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
it’s the same; both are dangerous…no matter if our ego is small or big…if the ego is present, we are not free….and if we are not free, we experience suffering…
TG Says:September 20th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I think that when it comes to egos, big or small could also be compared to strong or weak. They both exist and both can be dangerous. However, so long as we are aware of this, we can make a conscious effort to get past both.
aumsree Says:September 29th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
if you think a lot, you have a big ego…
spiritually evolved masters have small egos…
In sanskrit, Ego is called AHANKARA and is of many types:
Jati Ahankara (caste)
Vidya Ahankara (knowledge)
Dhana Ahankara (wealth)
Ahankara born out of fame, power, position etc….
If ahankara is too big it’s called, “mada” which can be disastrous and the Guru is the destroyer of ahankara…
ChetanG Says:October 9th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
All egos are the same until the last thought is burned to ashes and the Ego dissolves.
sureshbalaraman Says:April 20th, 2008 at 1:02 am
what is ego?
anjali Says:April 23rd, 2008 at 3:40 pm
for those who are in spirituality, ego is small. but for those who are so involved in worldly matters… like me..ego is big