What is the "ego"?

[kameden]

I am very new to all of this, so please forgive my ignorance. Basically you want to try and get rid of the ego, but isn't that what is responsible for basic survivability like hunger? If you achieve enlightenment, shouldn't you just not move and die a few days later from dehydration? And if you don't do this, is it really enlightenment? And if it is, isn't it just a very specific version, where you let your "ego" decide what an "ego" even is to begin with?

[Matthew]

What exactly IS the ego?

Correct me if im wrong, but I think of the ego as the mental construct we have of ourselves, and our lives. For example, my name is such and such, I consider myself to be bla bla, I like bla bla, and my past is such and such.

This to me is the ego. It's just a bunch of thoughts that make who we think we are.

Am I right?

This is from one of a number of previous threads asking the same question. It is also a very good description of ego.

You could use the search function to find more - try the words 'what' and 'ego' and tick search title only.

Your understanding of ego and  enlightenment seem rather skewed (or a joke - really I'm unsure of your motive here). Where does your understanding of "ego" and " enlightenment" come from?

Kindly,

Matthew

[Masauwu]

Basically you want to try and get rid of the ego, but isn't that what is responsible for basic survivability like hunger? If you achieve enlightenment, shouldn't you just not move and die a few days later from dehydration?

Hi kameden and welcome to the forum

    It is my current understanding that we are not trying to get rid of an ego or a self - but we are training in practices that help us experience the fact that the identification and attachment to those are hindrances to liberation and happiness. This is one of those things that require direct experience to truly realize it (reached by practice), just grasping the concept intellectually is probably like listening to a description of the color blue as a blind person whithout ever getting to see it.