Ahamkara

Ahamkara is the Sanskrit word for ego. It's closely translated as "the sense, or feeling of I". Thinking about who you are.

We think we are the ego, that the ego is the true self. But if you only, existed in this exact moment, and the only thing you care about is the exact thing you are doing in this moment, that is not your ego.

The identity of a person is variable. I will still be myself after I'm a web developer. I will lose my identity, just like I lost my identity of playing the guitar.

What harm can the ahamkara do?

preserve a sense of identity at all costs

not dating, because you wanna stay a widow

prevent formation of another identity

fear of going out, because it might confirm that you are boring

confirmation bias

misinterpreting actions

If you ask out a person and they reject you, there is the possibility of the thought going through your head that they were not that attractive in the first place and that you were not into them anyway. The truth is that if you did not find them attractive and were not attracted to them, you would not have asked them out. So, this is the ahamkara activating — it is protecting you from feeling emotional pain by changing your perception of the situation.

How do I deal with the ahamkara?

• raising awareness of the ego though meditation
• ask questions What does this mean about me as a person? If I fail, or succeed? If I don't participate what hope do I give myself to keep the identity alive?

Meditation: Ego Meditation   ATTACH

Practice regularly in order to peel back all the layers of the onion and find your true self.