2023-04-08 Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK: What is ego and why does it create everything?

In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 8th April 2023 Michael answers various questions about Bhagavan’s teachings.
A clearer audio copy of this video can be listened to on Sri Ramana Teachings podcast (ramanahou.podb... ) or downloaded from ramanahou.podb... and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from mediafire.com/...

[@SriRamanaTeachings]

A clearer audio copy of this video can be listened to on Sri Ramana Teachings podcast (ramanahou.podbean.com ) or downloaded from ramanahou.podbean.com/e/what-is-ego-and-why-does-it-create-everything and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from mediafire.com/file/qhjz2jrn49v62g9

[@TheDeepening718]

Why do these Hindus fear punishment in the next life? Don't they know that punishment is what leads to reward? Why do these Hindus hope for reward in the next life? Don't they know that reward is what led to punishment? I'm seriously asking. Pls take my question.

[@johnmcdonald260]

It seems that Michael has deleted my comment I left here an hour ago. I am not sure why but I guess it somehow did not fit in the scheme of things 🙂

[@SriRamanaTeachings]

@@johnmcdonald260 No, John, it wasn't me. I never delete comments unless they contain links to pornographic sites, but KZbin often deletes comments automatically for one reason or another, even though some of them may actually be appropriate, so I have no control over this. ​Namo Ramanaya 🙏🙏🙏

[@SriRamanaTeachings]

@@TheDeepening718 There are more than a billion Hindus, and they have numerous different beliefs, likes, dislikes, desires, attachments, aspirations, hopes and fears, so not all of them fear punishment or hope for reward in the next life, and those who do will each have their own individual reasons for doing so. Namo Ramanaya 🙏🙏🙏

[@TheDeepening718]

@@SriRamanaTeachings It's not really about Hindus, I'm just trying to squeeze an answer out of someone to a difficult question.

[@BarryKilzz]

Wonderful explanation. Thank you.

[@VirendraSingh-iu2nc]

Thank you very much🌹.

[@shanti9040]

Gratitude to You.... 🕉️🎆🙏💖

[@blonski]

🙏⚘💚

[@christianandersson2217]

Thank You! 🙏

[@rviswanathan]

🙏

[@mohanbhaibhad3703]

Thanks my dear Sir, Michael James, you are speaking as if Bhagvan is in your heart and makes you speak , It’s very difficult to get free from restlessness. Only your speech gives some soothing feelings to the mind.

[@SriRamanaTeachings]

Shorter Q&A videos from this channel can be watched on youtube.com/@sriramanateachingsqa

[@ajantaforeign]

Thanks Michael. You reply to our questions in a very simple manner. We all can never pay off your debt. Bhagwan speaks through you. Few questions : 1. Benefits of Silence with regards to Bhagwan. 2. Why bliss of the Self does not express itself in us?

[@josefromspace]

1. Silence is the goal, it also the means. 2. The bliss of the Self is the bliss of one's own self, it is always there, but we turn a blind eye to it, so to speak, the practice called atma-vichara is the means by which we stop turning a blind eye to it and see how it has always been there. Much love. ❤🙏🏼

[@johnmcdonald260]

Today's video ended for me a bit unsatisfactory and that is in regard to the notion of one ego but many individuals. Now here are my thoughts about that topic and Michael, please feel free to correct or clarify my thoughts here: The vasanas determine our specific likes and dislikes and with that specify the individuality of each jiva. Jiva A may like football, however Jiva B doesn't like football or any other sports but likes chess. That means every jiva has a very specific set of vasanas collected during many lives. These vasanas clearly distinguish jiva A from jiva B. Since there is only one ego that would mean that it is the source of ALL vasanas of all jivas. The apparent multiplicity of many individual jivas is a dream dreamed by the ego where seemingly a world is created where from the pool of vasanas jivas seem to appear who have certain characteristics. Some vasanas may be dormant (“time” between dying and reincarnation) but many are active within that dream. I also have read a statement by Bhagavan (from talks given in Summer1936) that this phenomenal world with its jivas rises and subsides with each moment, there is truly no continuity of “life” - that itself is a delusion of mind which needs and even makes up continuity, patterns and seeming cause and effect. That means with every instant the phenomenal world rises and immediately subsides only to rises again the next instant and to again immediately subside and so on. It's like a projector who projects pictures on a screen and each picture is that instant rising and subsiding (of the entire phenomenal world), in order that a new “picture” can rise the previous one needs to subside first. The screen is Self, the pictures are vishaya-vasanas and each picture is a selection of vasanas by Ishwara who determined what pictures are used (from the vast pool of vasanas) and in what order these pictures are projected. So we are not really walking and any action is no action at all, the mind makes up entirely that seeming passage of time. That means that there is no cause and effect in the phenomenal world and the idea of sat-vasanas may explain the apparent spiritual “progress” of a jiva over a course of many lives but even that is only a dream and not real (but nonetheless a helpful aid for the apparent jiva). Vishaya-vasanas are not real, nor are sat-vasanas. However, the idea of sat-vasanas may help the sadhaka to be encouraged to practice vichara since only that transcends the dream of apparent continuity or cause and effect or this phenomenal world.

[@Iiisgracebestill]

Me, myself am ego? I am this body is my first thought, ego thought, to separate and become the conscious being I am imagination. Being aware of others, is ego. We are awareness. I am consciousness is not the senses, it is the self.

[@rachelmartins4603]

can you do a video about mooji?

[@rblais]

I have never seen a video of Michael’s that is about any thing other than Bhagavan’s teachings. (So nothing is lacking.)🙏

[@tonyrobinson1022]

@@rblais what a great time to step outside of the comfort zone and do something different

[@tonyrobinson1022]

@@rblais yawn ....

[@johnmcdonald260]

Yes, Michael only makes videos about Bhagavan's teachings. He would not touch Mooji since he teaches a distorted version of Sri Ramana's teachings as did his 'guru' Poonja. Why taint this sacred space with the musings of impostors?

[@tonyrobinson1022]

@@johnmcdonald260 to share either a critical negative view, a supportive positive view, or a mixture of both

[@ajantaforeign]

I bow down at your service..

[@ellenrule3189]

Explanations so great mike

[@akn650]

Ego is the source of all troubles and always carries forward the sanchita vasanas for future dreams.Grabbing forms is the very nature of ego. Unless ego dissolves in its source,vasanas act as seeds for projecting the world or dreams in jagrat or Swapna states. Om Namo Bhagavathe Sri Arunachala Ramanaya! 🙏🙏🙏

[@mikezrymiak5256]

Definitely a classic. Thank you Michael 🙏

[@emiliocortes6161]

Listening to Michael is liberating

[@IAMdave_thecat]

Thankyou!

[@sjain8111]

If asking a question please have the courtesy of being present for Michael’s answer

[@Iiisgracebestill]

1:49:33 Ego said constantly search everywhere other for happiness Papaji said to know happiness call off the search, don’t think & make no effort. Bhagavan said be silent be still and know happiness.

[@ricardomusicdoc7227]

Thank you. The cumulative effect of these talks is an instruction book for life for me. A certain percentage of this has taken it on board and is acting 'as if'. Can 'switch off' emotions now - Whew!Too many words now will be at odds with this settling down. 👁

[@nikibotev5478]

From where this lonely ego borrows this particular ideas of forms.. bodies, animals, plants..?

[@srividhyambigai618]

SIR PLEASE ANSWER ME IF WE THINK OF RAMANA IT REFERS TO BAGAVAN WE HAVE ALREADY SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT, IF WE ASKED TO THINK OF MANGO WE THINK OF FRUIT BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT. BUT WHEN WE CONCENTRATE ON i AM WHICH WE HAVE NO IDEA ON IT HOW TO DO IT

[@mandybaker3689]

1:48.00 1:58:48 ego is a formless phantom 2..00.00 I am I ❤ 🌹

[@andyakarudolfhessiansack7936]

This explanation of ego confused the heck out of me.

[@jazzsnare]

Ultimate question for me is if there is one ego, when the first realizer, let's say Buddha, saw through it, then why weren't all individual jivas liberated forever at that very moment? It only liberated the Buddha, as an individual. For that matter, in Ramana's case, again, that did not liberate any of his devotees nor did he say it did. To add to the consternation, a cow, a dog and a crow are counted among the success stories in this satsang. Never thought I would be dumber than a bird, but apparently birds can occasionally perform atma-vichara.

[@gastonhernanirace5862]

Sin mente

[@svarupa]

❤❤❤

[@Liyah-encyclopedia333]

❤❤❤

[@nikibotev5478]

Since Awareness doesn't know anything except itself what is the benefit of this artificial environment called ego?