Disolving the Ego, David Hawkins

DISSOLVINGTHE EGO, REALIZING THE SELF Contemplations from the Teachings of DAVID R. HAWKINS MD, PhD EDITED BY SCOTT JEFFREY First published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK Ltd, 292B Kensal Rd, London W10 5BE. Tel.: (44) 20 8962 1230; Fax: (44) 20 8962 1239. www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the United States of America by: Hay House, Inc., PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100. Tel.: (1) 760 431 7695 or (800) 654 5126; Fax: (1) 760 431 6948 or (800) 650 5115. www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Ltd, 18/36 Ralph St, Alexandria NSW 2015. Tel.: (61) 2 9669 4299; Fax: (61) 2 9669 4144. www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd, PO Box 990, Witkoppen 2068. Tel./Fax: (27) 11 467 8904. www.hayhouse.co.za Published and distributed in India by: Hay House Publishers India, Muskaan Complex, Plot No.3, B-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110 070. Tel.: (91) 11 4176 1620; Fax: (91) 11 4176 1630. www.hayhouse.co.in Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast, 9050 Shaughnessy St, Vancouver, BC V6P 6E5. Tel.: (1) 604 323 7100; Fax: (1) 604 323 2600 Copyright © 2011 by David R. Hawkins The moral rights of the author have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for ‘fair use’ as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher. The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual wellbeing. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-8485-0420-2 Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall. X Gloria in Excelsis Deo! X . ..................................... 35 Part II: Transcending the self......................................................................Contents X X X Preface by Dr................................... 123 8: Nature of Divinity/Self/Truth.... 53 3: Pathway of Mind......... 99 7: Devotion to God and Truth......... 91 6: Meditation. 125 9: The Presence of God... 157 10: Nonduality...................................................................................................... 81 5: Witnessing and Observing........................................................................................... 219 ........... 183 Glossary................................................... ix Introduction............... Hawkins............................................. 107 Part III: Realizing the Self......... xi Part I: The “self” (Ego/Mind)........ 55 4: Subjectivity.... 169 11: Enlightenment............ 3 2: Nature of “Mind”.......1 1: Nature of the “Ego”............................................................. 211 About the Author and Editor.............. David R.......... X Note: References to the Map of Consciousness and the concept of calibration are explained in detail in Dr Hawkins’s book Power vs. Force (Hay House. X . 2002). MD. It is the great journey that uplifts the reader from the seemingly mundane to the Realization of the Glory of God. from that of the simple bacteria to the advanced levels of Enlightenment of the world’s Great Sages.Preface All life reflects the evolution of consciousness. PhD X X X ix X . — David R. Scott Jeffrey has taken on the formidable task of delineating core comprehensions that occur along the Great Pathway. Hawkins. innately transformative steps that accelerate the journey to Enlightenment. These selections are inspirational. To completely understand any one of them illuminates all the others. easily portable and taking up little room on your nightstand. Whether you’re working at your desk. Realizing the Self provides convenient contemplations of Truth. Falsehood. Quotes and passages to inspire contemplation and reflection for the student on the go have been hand-selected from all of Dr. This collection of writings on the nature of ego. sipping coffee in a café. Hawkins’s teachings. Transcending the Levels of Consciousness. Truth vs. The Eye of the I. Discovery of xi X .Introduction The contemporary spiritual student is bombarded by information and activities that consume time and attention. David R. Force. and consciousness itself is designed to be a pocket companion for serious seekers and students of Dr. Hawkins’s core writings—including Power vs. hiking in the woods. or just lying in bed. mind. Dissolving the Ego. waiting in line at the bank. I: Reality and Subjectivity. categorized topically for the reader’s convenience. and Reality. with a great deal of overlap between sections.Dissolving the Ego. with only minor alterations where appropriate. The chosen selections have been taken directly from the above sources. As a skilled teacher and mystic. Realizing the Self the Presence of God. Spirituality. (If you find that any of the terms used are unfamiliar. Instead. Hawkins isn’t one of “getting somewhere. His teachings represent a beacon of truth that any willing xii X .” Dr. Hawkins’s teachings expose the ego/mind as nothing more than a complex house of mirrors. and Modern Man—as well as numerous other published and unpublished works.) The approach to spiritual progress as explained by Dr.” as there is no “where” to get. “The sun is always shining. he guides us out of perceptual distortions and fallacies into the Light of Consciousness itself. The beauty of this format is that you may begin reading wherever you feel most inspired. As he explains in many of his talks. you’re guided to transcend your ego and shed all illusions so that Truth stands revealed. please consult the Glossary at the back of the book. you need only remove the clouds. or simply flip to a page at random. and blindly adhering to ecclesiastic doctrine. and Truth with a precision unsurpassed in spiritual literature. and ultimately Self-realization. distilling difficult and confusing topics for the Western mind. He offers the devoted student the gift of clarity and spiritual direction. Reality. In transcending the illusion of the (small) self. Dr. Hawkins’s teachings are not oriented toward the spiritually timid. Subsequent sections are devoted to transcending that self and experiencing the nondualistic Presence of Divinity and the realization of Enlightenment.Introduction spiritual aspirant can follow to higher levels of consciousness. that is. those more interested in energizing belief systems. the passages herein were selected. confirming opinions. one realizes the (higher) Self—the Ultimate Reality out of which consciousness arises. For the individual who is honestly moving toward greater meaning and understanding. The first section of this book explores the true nature of the small self—the ego and mind. You’ll find that Dr. Hawkins illuminates the illusion of duality (the sense of separation of a “this” observing a “that”) and the true nature of Subjectivity. xiii X . beyond words or concepts. and contemplating the meaning behind the words that one’s understanding ripens. Realizing the Self Many of the themes and concepts presented in this book are repetitive. as Dr. — Blessings. This is done intentionally. Eventually. then. rereading. May your spiritual journey lead you to Higher Truth. experiential reality).Dissolving the Ego. . It is in reading. Scott Jeffrey X X X xiv X . as they are in Dr. become unnecessary. sequential understanding. the teaching becomes a part of the student (a subjective. Hawkins’s core writings. Words. Hawkins explains that nonlinear principles are learned through repetition rather than linear. . . X Pa r t I X The “self” (Ego/Mind) The process of transcending to the highest levels of enlightenment is one of letting go of the identification of a personal self.” We start by exploring the nature of the ego and the mind—the sense of a personal self— so we are better prepared to transcend this misidentification. The belief in an “I” or “me”—a central processing unit that has its own body. and the ‘decider’ of decisions. Hawkins explains that the self (with a small “s”)—the composite of ego and mind—presumes there is a centralized “inner primary causal agent. and emotions—is a hindrance to realizing one’s true nature. the ‘doer’ of deeds. the ‘thinker’ of thoughts. mind. 1 X . for example. Dr. Understanding the ego’s nature reveals its underlying mechanisms so that we may withdraw the value we innocently projected onto it. 3 X . The primary goal of spiritual work is to transcend the central processing unit believed to be essential for survival.X 1 X Nature of the “Ego” Hawkins describes the ego as “the imaginary doer behind thought and action.” enforced by societal consensus and unconscious repetition.” This “set of entrenched habits of thought. creates the illusionary sense of a personal self. thereby enabling spiritual progress. nor is it an evil to be vanquished. Spiritual progress is hastened by understanding the true nature of the ego.Dissolving the Ego. Realizing the Self The progress of consciousness is facilitated by an awareness of the evolutionary nature of the ego and its structure. an obstacle to realization because of its linear dualistic construction. the term denotes coping and survival skills needed to deal effectively with the world. It is not an enemy to be attacked or defeated. At times. In psychology. X In spiritual parlance. X The world of the ego is like a house of mirrors through which the ego wanders. It is dissolved by compassionate understanding. however. Human life is characterized by endless trials and errors while attempting to escape the maze. for many people—and possibly for most—the world of mirrors becomes a house 4 X . ego implies a negative quality. lost and confused. as it chases the images in one mirror after another. X Realization is a progressive process. but merely a compilation of unexamined habits of perception. which are the results of entrainment by invisible energy fields that dominate human consciousness. X Because the ego is constructed of positionalities. To think in language is a form of selfprogramming. Further reinforcement comes from language itself. it has no option to be anything else except what it is. X The ego is not an enemy to be subdued. it fears the future and the specter of death itself. which is intrinsic to the ego’s structure. X The ego can be thought of as a set of entrenched habits of thought. They become reinforced by repetition and by the consensus of society. The only way out of the circuitous wanderings is through the pursuit of spiritual truth. Above all else. It therefore becomes an inescapable source of endless suffering and loss.Nature of the “Ego” of horrors that gets worse and worse. The use of the pronoun I as the 5 X . All opinions are vanities. the ego dissolves. but merely an illusion to release so that something far better can replace it. it dissolves.Dissolving the Ego. These desires represent the attachments that the Buddha spoke of as the bondage of suffering. X There is no such thing in reality as an ego. If one lets go of the vanity of thought. X The ego is neither bad nor an enemy. With absolute humility. Realizing the Self subject—and therefore the implied cause of all actions—is the most serious error. It is a collection of arbitrary mental processes that gain force only because of vanity and habit. It is made up of a compilation of arbitrary points of view supplied by mental processing and powered by feelings and emotions. and automatically creates a duality of subject and object. X 6 X . All thought is vanity. it is merely illusory. The pleasure of vanity is therefore the basis of the ego—unplug it and it collapses. executive. which is realized and known to be much closer and more comforting and fulfilling than the prior sense of “I. With examination. but instead is an intensely loving Allness. strategic.” X The ego could be called the central processing and planning center—the integrative. and tactical focus that orchestrates. stores. and consequently the conscious awareness will also cease. copes. X 7 X . X The ego fears dissolution and therefore resists giving up the illusion of a separate existence in an imaginary “here” and an imaginary “now. sorts. Its presence is firmly believed to be necessary and essential for survival.Nature of the “Ego” The ego is the imaginary doer behind thought and action. it will become clear that one’s reality is not a “who” at all. and retrieves.” It fears it will dissolve into being nothing. and as such. it is limited by the paradigm of supposed causality. The reason is that the ego’s primary quality is perception. X 8 X . It often takes the collective experience of millions of people over many centuries to learn even what appears to be a simple and obvious truth—namely. we make the amazing critical discovery that we are enamored with our self. that peace is better than war or love is better than hate.Dissolving the Ego. X The ego is extremely tenacious and therefore often seems to require extreme conditions before it lets go of a positionality. X One mechanism the ego uses to protect itself is to disown the painful data and project it onto the world and others. Realizing the Self As we get closer to the discovery of the source of the ego’s tenacity. X The ego secretly “loves” and clings to the position of victimhood and extracts a distorted pleasure and grim justification from pain and suffering. it can be difficult to achieve.” or “myself.” the “I. What really varies from individual to individual is the degree to which one is enslaved by its programs. Inherently. one can see that due to the structure of the ego. They have to be identified first before they can be disassembled.Nature of the “Ego” Although the critical level of integrity (level 200 on the Map of Consciousness) is the very threshold of spiritual progress. 9 X . and it is relatively similar (with karmic variations) in everyone.” The ego was inherited as an “it. That “it” of the ego structure is not unique or individual. but the problem of identification with it as the “me.” and is actually an impersonal “it. X More important is not the nature of the ego.” The problem arises because one personalizes and identifies with it. The strength of the ego is such that it can be overcome only by spiritual power. X The ego has habitual modes of determining perception. The degree of dominance is therefore determined by the extent to which one identifies with it. One has to give up guilt about having an ego. X 10 X . What the majority of people think to be truth is. and the power to decline the ego’s programs increases exponentially as one progresses spiritually. in reality. its influence cannot be diminished. we can view that the ego is not “evil. Unless the “animal self” is understood and accepted. even if it is only a curiosity or a wanting. fear. familiarity.” but is primarily a self-interested animal. in contrast. condemnation. it is merely the desire to experience the ego’s payoff and satisfactions of an impulse. That is the real meaning of the Map of Consciousness. and shame.Dissolving the Ego. and compassionate understanding. X Temptation stems from within. Realizing the Self it has no power. the ego’s hold is weakened by acceptance. it is reinforced by selfcriticism. opinions. X From a greater context. X Curiously. hayhouse.in . HAWKINS Healing and Recovery Reality.co.com.hayhouse. Force* Along the Path to Enlightenment* Orthomolecular Psychiatry (with Linus Pauling) *Available from Hay House Please visit: Hay House UK: www.ALSO BY DAVID R. and Modern Man Discovery of the Presence of God Transcending the Levels of Consciousness Truth vs.za Hay House India: www.co.uk Hay House USA: www.co.hayhouse. Spirituality. Falsehood I: Reality and Subjectivity The Eye of the I Power vs.au Hay House South Africa: www.com® Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.hayhouse.