By Paige Leigh Reist┃Posted: February 12, 2019

The ego is the source of your suffering. You’ve probably heard that phrase or a phrase like it many times before, but what does it actually mean?

Art of Living senior director Mona Shah Joshi, in conversation with Dr. David Ault at the Spiritual Living Center in Atlanta, touches on how ego separates and isolates you from your true nature and from the oneness of all life.

The ego is an illusion

“The whole idea of a fictitious ego is so interesting, because that’s what the Indian philosophy of maya is all about. That it’s an illusion! In fact, the word maya itself means ‘anything which can be measured is an illusion’. So for example: our age. Many of us would agree that our age is an illusion. Some of us might say our weight might be an illusion! Anything that can be measured is an illusion. When you think of the ego that way, as not real, then you start to look at things in a different way. Because these triggers, these patterns of behavior that stimulate the nervous system, it’s so instantaneous and unconscious, and when we stop and become conscious, only then can we change those patterns.”

Meditation and the ego

“It’s very hard for the mind to control the mind with the mind. It just gets more entangled. The way to handle the mind-ego complex is through yoga, breathing techniques such as Sudarshan Kriya, and meditation, because you’re transcending the level of the mind and working at a deeper level. It also soothes that overstimulated nervous system.”

Your perspective determines your stress levels

“Neutrality is freedom in life. An event happens, a situation or incident is there. The degree of difference between what is and how the mind and ego interprets what determines the degree of stress we have around that situation. We get caught up in the maya, the illusion of the incident, instead of looking deeper. We do that with ourselves, we do that with people.”

During the rest of the talk, Mona and David continue to explore the nature of the ego, and how we can overcome maya for a healthier, happier, and more peaceful existence. Check out the full video for more!

Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, blogger, and creative writing instructor.