@Skybird, the ego cannot be wholly annihilated. If someone told you that was possible he was lying or didn't know better.
The ego can be weakened though, to the point where a person no longer identifies with his ego. So, the person becomes merely a witnessing consciousness.
But the ego is still there, the personal identification is still there but it no longer controls the person meaning his intentions, desires, and anger are no longer caused by personal egoic reasons but they stem from the collective well-being of the whole.
An egoic person may become angry at a jerk who's harassing him. A more enlightened person may become angry to a jerk who's harassing another or he may get angry at a person who's also harassing him but only because that person is going to repeat that behavior to others. The anger isn't personal though so it doesn't linger and there's no thought of 'revenge'. To the eyes of the ignorant, they may seem the same.
That's all the difference.
The only way for the ego to be truly annihilated is in a deep meditation or dreamless sleep where there's no recollection of being. There's awareness without objects. Time passes unnoticed since there is nothing but the Self. One forgets his egoic existence (himself) in that state. There's awareness but not being. But this is temporary as the ego resurfaces in waking state. Well, unless one dies.
A fuller enlightenment is signified by a state of fearlessness and peace. They stem from the weakening of the ego and from knowing one's true nature. That this is all just an interactive movie. A dream of sort where nothing real can be imparted by us and to us. It's only real in being a flow of experience. The experience is real but everything else isn't. Just like in a dream.
|