Theos-Talk Archives (October 1998 Message tt00144)

Oct 27th 1998

Dear Jerry:

Some notes inserted in answers below

Dal

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> From: Jerry Schueler
> Sent: Monday, October 26, 1998 5:30 AM
> Subject: Re: How Many Egos?


        If we are going to talk about "egos" then we would have to define
them.

        I would define ego as a sense of identity complete with memory
        of a past.


        Dallas:
        Where does it come from ?  What is its constitution ?  In Theosophy
we say it is the "ray" of the ONE UNIVERSAL SPIRIT to which is attached the
memory of all experiences (Buddhi) and also to these two inseperables is
attached the Mind --the capacity to feel, think, remember, intuit, imagine
and the power of the will or determination.



        If there is ONE CONSCIOUSNESS that is aware of "Egoity" as a quality
of "I-ness" -- then how and why would we have several ?


        When this one consciousness focuses through a body or vehicle, it
takes on  a sense of identity.  Consciousness itself has no sense of
identity or self as opposed to a world or not-self.


        DALLAS
        Consciousness to me implies awareness of "other" as well as
awareness of "self."   Awareness implies "difference."  It also implies a
separation that is able to see correspondence and allegory or similarity --
as well as differences.


        Are you thinking of schizophrenia where apparently the physical
body/brain becomes the periodical or sequential habitat of several
"personalities" --- each with a different name and persons, etc... that is
rather abnormal and might be classified under "possession," or "obsession."
Conditions which theosophy also considers under the concept of "Mediumship,"
and which would be the result of "passivity."

        I was not thinking of that. However, the fact of
multiple-personalities shows
        us how fragile the whole idea of ego is, and I tend to agree with
Alan Watts
        (a Zen Buddhist) that the ego is a "social fiction" and has no real
existence.


        DALLAS
        That does not make sense to my logic -- I know firmly that neither
you nor I are "illusions" although our forms are in constant alteration --
the non-physical MIND through memory retains identity -- or is this
"off-base ?"


        In the normal condition -- that of all of us, the phenomena of
"multiple personalities" would be rare -- and the memory of experiences in
other states might be accurate or blurred depending on the development of
the faculty of "concentration," or "attention"  (both "Will: faculties of
the Mind == manas ==) as I understand it.

        Any ideas ?

        Dallas


        Actually, I think that we all have multiple-personalities, but
usually only one
        is dominate.  But at times I know that I can be a husband, a father,
a friend,
        a business consultant, a counselor, and so on, each with its own
(weak)
        sense of identity. Identities and ego's come and go. Consciousness
is
        with us all the time.

        Jerry Schueler