Want to Study the Ego?

When all is quiet try setting aside 20 minutes to meditate on your internal talk. You can do this by placing your awareness somewhere between your two ears and the back of your head. Don’t make the talk happen, just listen. This puts you in the present, which is where you need to be to explore the ego.

Do you hear talk about the past? Is it a happy memory? Or are you caught in a re-run of an unhappy time. Try not to get lost in either. In this listening mode you are simply observing how the ego arises in internal talk.

You might, instead, be someone who enjoys fantasies. Maybe you’re imagining islands in the sun, or a lover who offers just what you need. This is another ploy to keep you so riveted that there’s no room for life outside the ego.

Perhaps you’re addicted to planning for the future. Do you make lots of lists? Do you rehearse the exact words of a future conversation? This is the ego’s craving for certainty. It denies you the openness of mind that is ready to receive the new.
Lastly, you might hear yourself repeatedly making judgments such as: “How could I have been so stupid,” or “He’s a fool”. Please know that the ego’s judgments can’t survive if you stop believing in them.