How to Dissolve the Ego (According to Eckhart Tolle's Teachings)
Dissolving your ego means not identifying with your thoughts and feelings. According to Eckhart Tolle, you should instead recognize that ego is an illusion and understand that you're only patterns of energy in each moment. It's easy to get lost in your thoughts and forget that you're even thinking, but try to pay attention to them so you can understand the patterns. Meditate regularly to help you see your mind clearly. You should also avoid resisting negative emotions. Instead, accept every moment as it is. Wishing things to be different will only cause you suffering in the long term.
Recognize that ego, in this context, is identification with mind and form. When you say things like "I am a security guard," "I am a technologist," "I am a CEO," "I am homeless,", "I am a parent", "I am a writer,", "I was betrayed", "I am a sufferer of some disease" etc., this is part of identification with mind or conditioning. Which means thinking or taking that role or label or story, which are no more than bunch of thoughts, you added to the primordial 'I' or its thought forms, are you. In more direct words, you become your thoughts (or labels), reactions and emotions. That's what 'mind-identification' means. Ego, which is unaware of true source within, derives its sense of self from things, status, conditions, culture, physical appearance, relationships, experiences, stories, knowledge, history, etc. "Better" or "worse" the label or story or condition, stronger the identification. Ego says: 'I have, therefore I am. And the more I have, the more I am' and vice versa. This delusion is the opposite of the truth. Recognize form-identification. Identification with things and conditions like looks, body, disease, title, money, assets, religion, gender, skin color, race, age, nationality, etc. It's all part of form identification, which are ultimately thoughts in your head , contributing to the ' illusory self image ' of who you think you are. Ego continuously needs to feed and identify with forms to survive and strengthen its false sense of self. Since all things and conditions are subjected to the law of impermanence , that is to say fleeting, so ego lives in a constant state of fear; anxiously looking for the next thing to identify with. Part of the reason why thinking becomes compulsive and fear and desire our primary motivating forces. Read Know Your True Self for more insight. Here's a few questions: What if you lost your looks and health due to ageing or illness or some accident? Would you feel complete if you lost your status, job, relationships, money or possessions? Sooner or later you will have to relinquish these things or conditions anyway. As with death approaching, all forms, relationships, concepts, any "thing" and conditions that you identified with will become irrelevant and illusory. As death is stripping away of who you are not. Is this not a fact? This does not mean to not enjoy and honor the things, relationships and passing pleasures of the world. In fact, when you truly realize their impermanent and transient nature , you honor and enjoy them more. Its because fear of loss or attachment to forms, relationships and experiences dissolve. Their transient nature is allowed to be. Suffering comes when you seek yourself and long-lasting fulfillment in the fleeting world, relationships, experiences and things, which they can't give. If you didn't realize this, you will be condemned to chase after experiences, sensory pleasures, relationships, and other forms, one after another, seeking lasting fulfillment and sense of self which they can't give. Ask yourself, 'If I lost the things or assets or relationships or conditions in my life, would I feel complete?' or 'What would I be without them?'. Feel the answer within your intelligent body , rather than asking the mind. As mind, false God, may say something like "Of course, you will be diminished.". Make the deep intuitive responses through inner-body or Being as the primary source of intelligence. Read Inhabit Your Inner Body More Deeply for more depth. Realize deeply that fundamentally it's all in mind. Whether its desire, fear, jealousy, happiness, sadness, stuff you have, your achievements, looks, relationships, longing, depression, your job, possessions, nationality, sports team or any other identification. They are all ultimately psychological forms (thoughts) and emotions that are attached to the primordial 'I' and its other forms. Like your car becomes a thought in your head and gets attached to the primordial 'I' and its other forms, that says 'I have a car' or 'my beatup car'. Similarly 'I' thought form attaches itself to other thought forms or labels, like 'I am suffering from depression/anxiety', 'I make a lot of money', 'I am an average looking person', 'I have achieved this or that' etc. "Ego is identification with form, primarily thought forms." Eckhart Tolle. It may seem like fear, desire, longing, frustration and so on are caused by the external circumstances but are actually mind created. Example: You see a desirable thing or person and desire or frustration arise. Which are conditioned responses. Be very alert to recognize that 'desire' or frustration are not out there but are created by mind that seeks forms, relationships, security, experiences, pleasures etc. to enhance its ultimately fictitious sense of self with an unconscious expectation that they will fulfill it. Another example: You experience pain or pressure in body and mental-emotional reactions (anxiety, worry, fear etc) arise in response to it. Be alert to see that suffering is not caused by the condition (pain or pressure) but due to your thoughts and emotions about it. As you will read later. That's why Ramanan Maharshi said "Mind is maya (illusion)". Recognize the incessant, insane and suffering nature of mind or 'voice in head'. Your mind is hyperactive as most of your thinking is compulsive, recurring and pointless. The same thoughts come again and again, and they trigger the same reactive thoughts and emotions, based on the conditioning. Like 'old broken records' playing in your head. Also, due to thinking's often negative nature, much of it is harmful and causes serious leakage of energy. This is the never stopping voice you identify with that treats present moment as an obstacle or enemy or means to an end. The basic dysfunction. Realize that you are not your mind. Here's a practice: Simply watch your mental activity. Which usually arises on the front-left side of your head. Can you see that this activity, or voice in your head, is automatic, compulsive and never stops?. Deeply realize that it's not You but your mind or Ego generating an incessant stream of thoughts in your space of consciousness , based on its conditioning, to ensure its survival. As you will read later. Here's another pointer: if you are the 'watcher' or observer of the voice, reactions and emotions (observed), how can you be them? "Recognizing the false as false is meditation. This must go on all the time" Nisargadatta Maharaj. What is 'false'? Incessant 'voice in head' (or conditioned thinking) and emotions. A large part of suffering and problems arise when you believe the voice and emotions are "you" and follow or believe them.. In other words, when you become the voice and emotions. That's the sickness of mind-identification or ego. And the 'phantom self' takes over your whole life and thinking becomes compulsive. You are not even there but a mind created image of you. See that mind is an impostor that pretends to be you. Mind is a wonderful tool, but the problem comes when you seek yourself in it; then it becomes egoic mind and takes over your whole life. That's when your sense of self is derived from ever-changing content and conditioning of your mind, which is based on past and identification with forms. This does not mean that all the thoughts are painful or unproductive. However, we are primarily pointing to certain repetitive, persistent, negative thoughts, reactions and emotions that form the core of ego. Which consists of about 80-90 percent of your mind activity. So some thoughts (which also includes these words becoming thoughts in your head) can point you to the spiritual dimension within, and can counter or replace negative, repetitive thoughts and beliefs; thus not letting you fall into deeper level of unconsciousness. However, they are no ordinary or repetitive or attention seeking thoughts. So words or content can be part of your spiritual journey. However, deeply realize that words or content can at best point to the truth but are not the truth. You are the truth. The timeless, perfect and formless ' awareness ', that is aware of the incessant voice in your head, reactions, emotions and world. As ego implies unawareness of the formless dimension. Realize that this world is like a playground. Like a sports person has his or her gear, tactics, strategies, etc. for a match or game or event. In the same way, you have your body, things, thoughts and knowledge as your gear to play in this playground (the world). Realize that it's just a 'gear' and not 'you.' Yes, this gear (mind, forms, skills and knowledge) has its place to play in this world, but that does not mean you should identify or get lost in it. You, in essence, are formless consciousness and you share that essence with all beings. Recognize the impersonal nature of mind. Like a code or program repeatedly performs the same function, in the same way your mental conditioning runs you as a bundle of conditioned reflexes or reactions You are not even there but a mind created 'personality' or image or 'sense of self', which interacts with other mind created images or personalities and world. It doesn't matter where you are, as long as ego is running your life, same egoic patterns will emerge in different situations or places. Ever heard of the saying "Wherever you go, there you are"? This is one of major reasons why ego is not a personal problem. As all egos have same basic structure that is based on fear, desire, comparison, attack, defend, seeking conflict, resistance to what is etc. no matter how well disguised. In other words, Egos differ only on the surface, deep down they are all the same. On the surface, words or content or stories that Ego identifies with could be different but the underlying structure and energy is of the Ego. For example: Most people compare themselves with others using different aspects like looks, life stories, money, nationality, skills, job, location, even illnesses etc. to feel superior or inferior or balance the comparison. The words or aspects or things they use to compare may be different on the surface but underlying energy is of the Ego that feeds on comparison. So if you consider Ego a personal problem, that's a sign of more ego. As ego loves to personalize things and thrive on it. Once you truly see the impersonal and dysfunctional nature of mind, you naturally relinquish identification with it, become non-reactive, forgiving, tolerant and compassionate towards yourself and others. Events are not personalized or labelled as good or bad or even neutral. The 'fact of the moment' is allowed to be. . Watch the mind Our mind is conditioned by thousands of years of cultural, societal, genetic and years of personal conditioning, which have a strong momentum. Trying, controlling, resistance or using will power, which are aspects of limited mind, are futile and in fact strengthen the ego. Its because problems of the mind cannot be solved at the level of mind. That's why it is said that you don't become good by trying to be good, but finding the good that's already within you. So simply watch the automatic conditioned narration or commentary of mind with high alertness. When you watch, you reclaim trapped consciousness from the mind and more clearly see the dysfunction and irrationality of 'voice in the head' that causes so much self created suffering.. Its because 'Watching' or awareness is a different dimension of consciousness that is not part of thinking. Example: Have you noticed when you procrastinate, the 'voice in head' says something like 'I can do it later' or 'You have lot of time', etc? If you simply observe the voice and allow it to be, even if it makes you procrastinate because of some degree of identification with it, you may notice how dysfunctional the voice and unproductive the procrastination is. It's like collecting evidence (truth) to see the insanity of the 'voice in head' more clearly. That's when ego starts to dissolve and separation of thinking (observed) and awareness (observer) begins, as you see its dysfunction more clearly and realize that you are not your mind. Similarly, when you detect mental-emotional resistance within, just observe and allow it to be. Deeply realize that resistance serves no purpose and in fact is dysfunctional, keeps the undesirable situation and thought patterns in place, and is more disturbing than the original cause its trying to dissolve. Watching the 'voice in head' or mind also includes to watch or detect the background non-verbal urges, tension, impulses, psychological unease, noise and pre-verbalized thoughts and reactions, which are forms of egoic resistance, that are deeply embedded and considered normal that many people are not even aware of them. Watching doesn't mean to criticize or condemn or ignore or fight the 'voice in head', else it would be the same voice that came through the back door. This also implies to not treat Ego as an obstacle or enemy. Again, you can never dissolve unconsciousness or Ego by fighting, trying, controlling or running away from it. Bringing it in the 'light of your awareness' is all that is needed. In other words, to dissolve the ego, in essence, there is no doing or trying involved but an alert seeing or acceptance. So watch it impartially without judgement. Here's another way to look at it: Fighting, resistance, reactions, trying, condemning etc. arise in form of conditioned thoughts, emotions or reactions, and you are not your mind (thoughts and emotions). True intelligence is formless, unconditioned and intuitive. That's why be aware of deeper feeling response as you read. Being rooted in inner body is essential to be present and watcher of mind. Else, mind will take you over like a wild river. As when you are rooted in inner body, attention is withdrawn from mind to the Now. Transcend the drama and Karmic cycle. Watching the thinker(mind) also transcends you beyond Karmic cycle. It's because when you are in mind identified state, you are subject to karmic cycle of action and reaction, good or bad because your actions and words arise out of your mental conditioning, which is based on past. However, when you simply watch, a different dimension of consciousness emerges through, that is not part of thinking and not subject to karmic cycle or mind made polar opposites. As awareness has no opposite. That's why just being aware and non reactive is so powerful. This is the peace of One Consciousness or awareness that Jesus pointed to when he said "And the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and mind". Observe that mind or Ego feeds on negativity. Have you noticed when you feel sad, anxious or any other form of negativity, there is something in you that craves more negative thoughts and emotions? You are looking at the ego that feeds on pain, stories, drama, and conflict to ensure its survival. "Ego thinks staying in the state of negativity and unhappiness (resistance) will get it what it wants"- Course of miracles. That is, of course, a delusion. Otherwise, who would want to remain stuck in unhappiness? If "you" - the mind - did not believe that unhappiness works, why would you create it? The fact is, of course, that negativity (resistance) does not work. Instead of attracting a desirable situation, it stops it from arising Also resistance feeds the ego that's why it loves it. So it becomes more important to acknowledge and watch or allow the resistive mental-emotional patterns than incessant thinking. You can also see 'relinquishing resistance' or 'accepting what is' as an experiment to see if it works for you or not. Since resistance has not worked for you so far. See the 'suchness' or 'isness' of the moment. She's rejected me, I am ugly and a loser.' 'Why is it raining? I hate this weather.' 'He didn't have the decency to text me back.', 'I am feeling so uneasy, why this feeling won't go away?'. Can you refrain from adding mental stories or commentary or narration and just see the 'suchness of this moment'? Buddha called it Tathātā. How simple life would be without those mental stories. 'She didn't want to talk to me.', 'It is raining.', 'He didn't reply.', 'I can feel unease and tension in my body'. You don't feel uncertain or angry or sad because of the situation. However, you feel unhappy because of the automatic thoughts or stories that come in response to it. "There's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so." William Shakespeare. Here's a spiritual practice: watch the situation or condition as well as the mental-emotional reactions or thoughts that come in response to it. Rather than getting lost in event and letting the reactive conditioned thoughts and resistance become unconscious. Relinquish all mental positions. Mental positions like viewpoints, opinions, dogmas, interpretations etc., which by their very nature are limited, are no more than bundle of words that Ego has identified itself with to get a false sense of "I know" and "self". This has caused separation and so many conflicts. While only "inner space" or unconditioned consciousness or presence within can provide a true perspective or holistic answer that's in aligned with the totality of the universe. Be aware as ego is very clever as it may identify with facts and make them as mental positions to ensure its survival. For example: the fact that earth rotates or spins towards east can become a mental position in your head and in case you get into an argument with someone about it, you may be defending your mental position and not the truth. Like "Believe me that earth rotates towards east". Truth doesn't need any defense. Here's an experiment: Next time you feel an urge to react or argue or resist or defend a mental position, which is basically identification with mind, can you drop it just to see what happens? Allowing the 'false self' to diminish and de-emphasizing your form identify are powerful spiritual practices. That is what Jesus meant when he said "Deny thyself". This diminishment or vulnerability makes way for your true power to shine through. The formless truth within that is beyond any name or form. "Only by becoming vulnerable can you discover your true and essential invulnerability" Eckhart Tolle. However, it doesn't mean to let yourself be abused by people or put up with bad behavior. There may be times when you would have to say a non-reactive and firm no, in no uncertain terms, or take a non-reactive action. With spiritual energy behind your words and actions, there will be great power. Its because non-resistance makes way for the greatest power in the universe i.e Intelligence itself. Take responsibility of your inner state Now. "The world can change only from within" (Eckhart Tolle). What we see externally (man-made) is a result of what we thought once. Every creative idea comes from the realm of the consciousness and then is materialized using mind, which is an instrument. That's why if your inner psyche is polluted i.e when you are completely identified with mind, then the materialized form will be polluted also.. Its because mind obscures the true intelligence to shine through. On an inner level when the mind resists what is, negativity arises. This pollutes your beautiful and sacred being or 'inner space' and that's what is seen externally in the world we inhabit. Its because world is just a reflection of your inner state. “The pollution of the planet is only an outward reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner space.” (Eckhart Tolle). Resistance is also the cause of leakage of vital energy which could have been used to resolve or deal with situations or challenges instead of fighting them. Taking responsibility of your inner space, which is the only thing you can truly take responsibility of, will rapidly deepen and transform your life. Recognize what the term 'pain body' points to. Have you noticed a heaviness in your body which gets triggered by some event or thought or condition or person that is peculiar and painful to you? A dark heavy cloud or "parasitic entity", in your chest, head, stomach etc., consisting of similar frequency negative emotions that takes you over, attracts negative situations in your life, depletes you of energy, causes mental-emotional suffering, makes your thinking extremely negative and may even make you attack others (physically and/or verbally) or become their victim That's pain body. Pain body is one of the most powerful things that Ego can identify with.. So it has great power to make you do or say things which you would usually not say or do, when you are relatively more conscious. For example: 'Normal people' committing heinous crimes during road rages. Emotions are a reflection of mind in body, so when pain-body gets activated, it makes your thinking extremely negative through negative emotions and pain body feeds on negative thoughts. As positive thoughts are indigestible to it. Every time you recognize and witness this unholy alliance between ego and pain-body, it loses energy and looks for another opportunity to feed, when you are less conscious. As unconscious identification and resistance feed the pain-body So its an effective practice to catch and witness the pain-body before it takes you over. Since there's no way out of pain, the only way is through. So take your attention deeper into it or feel it fully and don't think about it. In other words, bring the pain-body into your 'light of consciousness' or accept it rather than fighting or trying to control or run away from it. Which are futile anyway. In case 'putting attention' or 'feeling it fully' gets misinterpreted as clinging or dwelling on to pain body, it helps to shift attention from pain-body to inner energy field of body (wherever it feels most natural) and/or breath and/or sense perceptions and/or constructive activities, especially when pain body is about to get activated. If that's not possible, accept it as "suchness" of the present moment by allowing it to be there or remove yourself from the situation, if possible. Become friendly with your pain body and/or don't resist it, as pain body is a noble teacher and fuel that transforms into consciousness. Like coal that burns into heat and light. "If you don't mind being unhappy then what would happen to the unhappiness?" Eckhart Tolle. Read How to Stay Rooted in Being for more depth. You can express or describe the isness or fact of how the 'pain body' feels like but don't let it come up and turn into thinking. So an intense alertness and acceptance are needed. When you become unconscious i.e identified with thinking and emotions(or pain body), guilt may arise. Observe and allow it to be. As guilt is one of the most clever ego's strategies to keep you identified with it. In other words, identifying with the feelings and thoughts of 'guilt' means Ego came through the back door. So simply forgive yourself and enter the now from there. Why add another layer of negativity (or story) and pain by resisting what is. As long as pain-body and Ego are not recognized as impersonal and not who you are, they will take you over again and again. Also, its essential to dissolve the pain-body to be free of Ego, as they need each other. Accept what is. Most natural way to live life is to completely accept the present moment the way it is. In other words, offer no resistance to life. Which is now and never not Now. There is a saying in Zen, "All that arises, passes away." Which means resistance is futile. So completely accept whatever arises in the present moment, as if it was your choice. For example: people around you, your habits (bad or good), your physical appearance, thoughts you are thinking, memories of the things you said or did, suchness of pain-body, your location etc. Fundamentally, accept any form "this moment" takes without adding any judgments or mental labeling, because it is as it is. That's when you clearly see what action, if required, to take. This action is truly intelligent because its in alignment with the One consciousness. If acceptance of outer form is not possible then bring inner acceptance. This means to say an 'inner yes' to present moment, doesn't matter what you say or do externally but there should be an inner acceptance or alignment to what is. What does it mean to say an ' inner yes ' or 'surrender to what is'? It means to say 'yes' to the thoughts, reactions and emotions that arise at "this" moment in response to the situation, people, other thoughts and emotions, by allowing, accepting, watching, being aware, giving them full attention, etc. However, you don't have to follow them. Identification with thoughts and emotions creates a lot of problems too. When there is true inner acceptance, you step out of thousands of years of conditioning or 'living past' in you and an intelligent response, if required, comes from infinitely intelligent ' unconditioned consciousness ' within. Not from limited conditioned mind. Along that intelligence comes peace and joy of Being. Infinitely greater than any pleasure or happiness that this world has to offer. There will be times when you would have to say 'No,' externally, but that would be a deeper or a high quality 'no', not a reactive or conditioned No. Do experiments to learn, like refuse to follow some thoughts (including pre-verbalized thoughts or reactions) and then see the result. However there should always be an inner acceptance, inner yes. Again, suffering always arises due to some form of non-acceptance (negativity or resistance) to 'what is' and not because of the situation or condition. When you are completely in inner-alignment with what happens, that is to say when you are 'one with life', circumstances or conditions lose power over your state of consciousness. Just like depth of the lake remains unaffected regardless of the weather. And the miracle is when you are in inner alignment with 'what is', outer circumstances or inner conditions (illness, pain etc.) tend to improve greatly without any doing on your part. Also, synchronistic chance encounters and favorable events happen more frequently. Its because you are connected to One Consciousness or One life underneath all forms. If acceptance is not possible then accept that you cannot accept. Else take action or remove yourself from the situation, if possible. Anything else is madness. Make present moment your best friend. Timeless present moment is your greatest friend, because that's the only time when you have access to the greatest power in the universe. Present moment is inseparable from One  life. However, when you treat it as a 'means to an end,' or an obstacle or enemy, that's when you get problems because you are cutting yourself off from that power. Deeply realize that you can never escape, have never escaped and will never escape from present moment.  Since there is no escape from the now , so why not accept or become friendly towards it? That's when Life works with you. What is Now? The timeless space of consciousness where all forms (visuals, sounds, taste, touch, these words, people and events) come and go. Read How to Surrender to the Present Moment to learn more about it. "Stay at the center of the circle and let everything fall into place" (Tao Te Ching). What is the center of the circle? The space of present moment. Past and future are no more than thoughts you are thinking in the 'Now'. Forgive. Forgive yourself and others for being unconscious i.e identified with mind. As when you don't, you are not only mistaking their or your identity with conditioned thoughts and judgments but are also holding on to psychological burden of resentment and guilt. If you could realize that we are all, to varying degrees, suffering from the same impersonal collective dysfunction, i.e human unconsciousness or Ego, the greatest perpetrator of evil on this planet, it becomes easier to forgive. How can you resent someone's illness? Jesus's saying "Forgive them. They know not what they do", also applies to yourself. Forgiveness , which also means letting go of the story or narration or labels, becomes easier when you deeply realize that nothing you did or anyone did to you, can't touch, even the slightest, who you are in essence. Be aware that forgiveness doesn't become a mental concept. True forgiveness is non-conceptual Read How to Surrender to the Present Moment and Stay Rooted in Being for more depth. When you truly forgive yourself and others, you reclaim your power from the mind. Mind is very unforgiving; only you can forgive. This doesn't mean you let yourself be attacked or abused or continue to be with people just because you have forgiven them. Forgiveness is an inner phenomenon, as it helps dissolve the burden of psychological baggage of past (and Karma ) you are carrying in your psyche. This is true freedom. When there is true forgiveness, you clearly see what needs to be done. Surrender. "Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life" (Eckhart Tolle in "The Power of Now"). In other words, surrender is inner acceptance to what is, without any reservations.. In more direct words, Surrender is allowing or accepting the thoughts, reactions and emotions that arise in response to anything (condition, situation, thoughts, emotions or people) at 'this' moment. It is highly recommended that you read How to Surrender to the Present Moment for more. Don't misinterpret the meaning of surrender. For example: If you have a disease and you say "Ok I surrender to the illness", that's not surrender. Surrender doesn't mean to yield to the life situation or idea of illness or story, which wouldn't work anyway, but yield to whatever arises (thoughts, emotions, reactions, pain, pressure in body etc.) in the tiny segment called the Now. Else, Ego will continue to survive under the label or concept of surrender. Ask yourself, 'What's the problem at this moment?' You are reading 'this' now. Even if you are suffering from a terminal condition, that condition, at "this" moment, could be pressure, weakness, physical pain, burning, tension, tautness etc. you feel somewhere in the body and head, and that is what you surrender to and not the label of condition or emotional story or idea of illness that says something like "I have terminal condition. Life has treated me harshly" or "I am suffering from depression for last 10 years" or "I was betrayed by my own family" etc. There's no suffering in the Now because there are no problems in the Now. As suffering needs time and a mind made story. Make the Now primary focus of your life. Its because that's the only time there is. Ego loves to identify with labels or stories or problems, to complain, react etc. In fact, ego never wants an end to its problems because they give it a false sense of self. Without them, who are you? "What at this moment is lacking?" Zen saying. Surrender happens naturally when you relinquish the 'inner state of war' or resistance, and suffer willingly because you see the futility and suffering nature of inner resistance. You surrender because you can't take the pain (psychological suffering) anymore. The phrase from Bible "Not my will but thy will be done" points to this truth. Only a surrendered person has spiritual power. Hence, there's a great strength in surrender, and it is perfectly compatible with action. So surrendering to 'what is' is the most powerful practice to end suffering and realize who you are beyond your name and form. Also, if you look closely, all spiritual practices lead towards surrender. When you truly realize that resistance is mad and futile, a peace emerges out of you. This is the peace of God , that bypasses all understanding. Move deeply into the Now. Mind craves to get away from the simplicity of the present moment or awareness as it can't stand it. More you practice being in the present moment, mind will do all it can to take your attention away from it. Its because present moment is its death. Here are a few structure-less practices to anchor to the now. Experiment to see which practice/practices come most naturally and easier to you in the Now. Can you simply, watch, and/or allow and/or accept the thoughts, emotions, reactions to be? Can you accept or become aware of the Now? Can you feel the aliveness or inner energy field of your body ? Your hands, legs, neck, feet, chest and so on. Can you become aware of the sensations from the sense perceptions? Your heartbeat? Your surrounding? Sensation of touch from the place you are sitting? Objects around? Sounds from the environment? Can you become aware of your breath? Can you become aware of 'Awareness' ? Read How to Practice 'Wheel of Awareness' Meditation and How to Stay Rooted in Being for more insight on these practices. Look closely and you will notice that Now is the essential aspect of each and every practice. Realize that 'You' are consciousness. Can you become aware of the space where thoughts, emotions, reactions, sensations, images, sounds come and go? You are that space of 'no thought.' or awareness Here's another pointer: Who is aware of the sensations or tensions in your body? Who knows or sees the unhappy emotions or unease in you? Who is aware of the thoughts or emotions that come and go? It's the ever-present I Am , the experiencer, without which there will be no experience. Your mind may be reacting with things like 'This article is stupid,' 'What is this?', 'I'm a loser,' 'I can't stop thinking,' 'The author is a moron,' etc. That's not you. It's your mind in its habituated resistive and survival mode, reacting to these pointers. Don't give it reality. Just allow it to be. Your presence or awareness is more than capable of dissolving the phantom self (Ego) pretending to be you. Read How to Practice 'Wheel of Awareness' Meditation for more depth. If something deeper in you responds to these words then the process of awakening has begun. That's why don't just read with your mind, but pay attention to any deeper feeling responses. Once you learn of the basic dysfunction i.e identification with mind then there's nothing further you need to understand before you can be free of the Ego. It's very possible that in the future the mind or pain body will take you over and push you into state of suffering, despair and unconsciousness. But remember, suffering can either push you deeper into more unconsciousness or it can become your greatest teacher to enlightenment. Be aware. Stay present. Deeply realize that suffering has a noble purpose. According to a Buddhist saying, "All suffering is illusion." It is true. The question is: Is it true for you? Are you truly fed up of pain and suffering though? Are you ready to wake up? Spiritual dimension has come in anyone's life not when something was added to them but when something was taken away in form of deep loss, impending death, death of a loved one, loss of status or possessions, meaninglessness, failure etc. So loss can be a great opportunity for spiritual awakening. Listen. When you truly listen, a space of knowing holds both the perceiver and perceived, that connects you with others on a much deeper level than the movement of thoughts. And in that space there's no 'other'. So listen with your whole being or inner body, which is an essential part of true listening and to be present. Experiment. When you find someone complaining or ranting about their life or in general, just truly listen to them without any mental interpretation or judgement, as you hold the frequency of intense presence or alertness. Look through their ego rather than looking at it. As when you look at the ego, it's your ego that's looking. But when you look through the ego, it's the awareness that's looking at itself, because essence of all things and beings is formless consciousness, inseparable from One consciousness. Don't validate their story by reacting or confirming, no matter how sad or great it is. Instead, give them your full attention; a space to be. This may bring out the sanity in them and you may witness them to realize the insignificance and irrelevance of their stories and problems. It's because when people complain, it's the Ego that complains through them. Ego wants reactions, conflict, validation, drama and enemies to create further suffering and strengthen its illusory sense of self Instead, you hold it in loving embrace of your awareness, without any judgments or giving any reality to its stories. In other words, relinquish all mental positions or judgments and be there as a field of spacious presence. Similarly, your own mind complains to you and craves your reactions. So listen and look through your mind, which also implies watching the mind. Recognize the interconnection? What you do to others, you do to yourself. So when you look through other people's ego, you also naturally go deeper within yourself and vice versa. That's why it is said that human interaction can be a great spiritual practice. Read Stay Rooted in Being for more depth. "Can you be there as the space for the other person? I would say that's the greatest gift you can give to someone" (Eckhart Tolle). Art of listening is essential for a relationship to deepen. Be extremely alert to bring the unobserved mind patterns in the light of your consciousness. Thoughts can be slippery, quick and can be gone in just milliseconds, especially pre-verbalized or non-verbalized thoughts and reactions. However, they have a great power to manipulate you like a puppet. So a high degree of alertness is required to make them conscious. One practice would be to write your recurring, negative and persistent thoughts. As writing can help bring the deep seated thoughts in the light of your consciousness. Plus, it helps to give them full attention and full attention implies full acceptance. Of course, it can be daunting to write down thousands of thoughts and reactions. So you can just spend a few moments on this every day. If you meditate, you can also make this a part of your meditation practice, as it can help clear your mind which allows you to go deeper within. Alternatively, you can also verbalize your thoughts. This means you verbalize and inquire into what you are feeling and deep seated mental patterns (unspoken assumptions or reactions), as they arise in the Now , to bring them in the light of your consciousness. However, be aware that there is a sense of dis-identification from thoughts and emotions. It helps a lot to be aware of inner-body and/or breath and/or sense perceptions as you verbalize. Read How to Stay Rooted in Being for more depth. Use memories to learn and become more aware. If you use your memories to learn and not for psychological suffering, they can help you see the suchness and become more aware of your unconscious patterns or mistakes without actually have to indulge into them again and again. As an analogy, memories are like watching yourself the same way a player/athlete watches himself/herself in a video footage. You are in a more comfortable and less stimulated environment, thus are more aware. That's why having a good memory can help you become aware of the mistakes and learn from them. So you don't make the same mistakes again and again. However, be honest and alert that mind doesn't falsify the memories. Allow. When you detect yourself resisting 'what is' or whatever arises, say "I accept" or "I allow" or "I forgive" or "I surrender," or "I yield", again and again, depending on the situation and condition and whatever seems natural to you. It's even more effective, if you synchronize your breathing with these phrases. If you can't accept, then 'accept that you can't accept.' Or take action immediately Read How to Surrender to the Present Moment for more depth. As far as inner transformation is concerned, there's nothing you can do about it but can only create a 'space for it to happen by practicing being present. Realize that even if you say 'I allow' or 'I forgive' etc, that is just a thought or pointer. It's what the thought points to, is what brings acceptance and transcendence. Otherwise you will remain stuck in the walls of concepts and thoughts. These words are not saying "look at me" but "look beyond me".. Again, Truth is beyond any words and forms. When you detect resistive or egoic patterns in you or others, then further resisting or beating yourself over it is just more ego which keeps them in place. Instead, simply become aware and allow them to be, or shift attention away from reactions to present moment anchors or Now. Whichever practice seems easier and natural. When you simply allow and don't resist what is, egoic patterns naturally dissolve and peace and joy of Being emanate from deep within. Watch egoic reactions. Have you noticed when mind experiences an undesirable stimulus (thoughts to smell), it reacts or resists or creates irritation? Why did the mind create it? Because it holds the unconscious belief that its resistance, which you experience as negativity or unhappiness or discontent in some form, will somehow dissolve the undesirable condition. This, of course, is a delusion. The resistance (irritation or anger or discontent) that it creates is far more disturbing than the original cause that it is attempting to dissolve. It may seem like the situation is causing the suffering but if you look deeply, it is actually the automatic mental-emotional resistance. We spoke about this earlier. "The greatest difficulty is the mental resistance to things that arise, and the underlying assumption is that they should not" (Eckhart Tolle). Resisting 'what is' is no different than doing the same thing again and again but expecting different results. Which is also how Einstein defined insanity when he said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." To deal with the automatic mental resistance, be there as the background witnessing presence (the Knower ) and/or allow or accept it to be. You can also immediately shift attention from thoughts, reactions and emotions to present moment anchors like inner body, breath, or sense perceptions i.e Now. If that's not possible, accept that you cannot accept or take action or remove yourself from the situation. Whichever seems easier and natural at that moment. There are few more pragmatic practices in the article Stay Rooted in Being. Watch physical reactions. Have you noticed when an egoic (mental and/or emotional) reaction arises, the body may react in form of pressure or twitching or tension in brain, heart, body, tongue, face muscles etc. As if muscles are trying to control or fight or suppress 'what is' (thoughts, emotions, situation etc.). This movement is the body's physical response to an egoic reaction. The stronger the reaction, more tense the brain, face or body muscles become and may even cause physical pain. Just as you watch the thoughts and emotions in you, detect and watch physical reactions. As becoming aware of physical or emotional reactions make you more aware of mental reactions, especially pre-verbalized and unconscious ones. For example: Body may respond to an anxiety pattern, even before it becomes a thought, in form of leg/legs shaking, tension in your muscles, fidgeting, anxious emotions in your body, you biting your lip or inside of your mouth etc. Even the slightest and subtle physical and/or mental and/or emotional reactions need to be detected or they will continue to remain unchecked and run your life. Therefore a high degree of alertness is needed. Here's a hint: see if you can detect physical reactions like tension in heart, tongue, face, jaw and brain muscles (especially left side) in response to a thought as if trying to control mental reactions, condition and situation. That is to say resisting what is. Free yourself from all concepts. Did you notice your mental interpretation after reading 'Watch your inner-self', 'Accept what is' and other pointers in the article? Your mind might have asked something like, 'How can I watch my inner self?' or 'What does 'watching inner self' even mean?' And mental answers to these questions may become your definition of 'watching your inner-self,' and ego has found another concept or construct to identify with. As mind has a compulsive need to conceptualize what it experiences, because that's all it knows. Other reason is because concepts (thoughts) and emotions are familiar and mind adheres to the known. As it thinks unknown is dangerous. This is why egoic mind ignores and dislikes the present moment. So are you sure that's what 'watching' means? Concepts and pointers can be part of your spiritual journey, but deeply realize that they are no more than stepping stones or viewpoints to be left as quickly as possible, and never to be taken as absolute truth. Again, thought by its very nature is limited and can at most show you the relative truth. In your spiritual journey, concepts may get replaced with more helpful spiritually sounding concepts or explanations or pointers. However, they are still bundle of words. Hence limited and will become great obstacles if used as crutch. True intelligence is holistic, formless and unconditioned. It's the stillness within you. "Can you step back from your own mind and thus understand all things?" (Tao Te Ching). Read How to Surrender to the Present Moment for more insight. Meditate. It may seem like a cliché, but meditation essentially means to be present. In essence, there's no trying or doing involved, but keeping your full or part of your attention in the Now. Since time is always Now, so you can be present, fully or to some degree, while doing any task, interacting with someone, sitting, walking, even while thinking etc. So dedicated meditation is not always necessary. Here are a few structure-less meditation practices: Be aware of your breath as much as you can. Notice the flow of air, gaps between inhaling and exhaling cycles, the movement of belly, and so on. Simply witnessing the breath creates a gap between incessant thought stream. Or at least slows down the compulsive thinking. Be the witness of your thoughts, reactions and emotions. We have talked about this already. Become aware of your inner body. Can you feel that your body is alive and full of life? Energy field of your feet, legs, pelvis, abdomen, back, chest, hands, shoulders, neck, head, face, lips, nose and so on. That's the life that you are. Inhabiting your inner body is essential aspect to be present. Become aware of your sense perceptions. Can you just look, taste, listen, touch and see without any mental commentary? Give full attention to what you are doing Now. Like when you are walking, give full attention to each step, movement of your body, feet touching the ground etc. It is highly recommended to read How to Stay Rooted in Being for more depth. 
Recognize that ego, in this context, is identification with mind and form. Recognize form-identification. Realize deeply that fundamentally it's all in mind. Recognize the incessant, insane and suffering nature of mind or 'voice in head'. See that mind is an impostor that pretends to be you. Realize that this world is like a playground. Recognize the impersonal nature of mind. . Transcend the drama and Karmic cycle. Observe that mind or Ego feeds on negativity. See the 'suchness' or 'isness' of the moment. Relinquish all mental positions. Take responsibility of your inner state Now. Recognize what the term 'pain body' points to. Accept what is. Make present moment your best friend. Forgive. Surrender. Move deeply into the Now. Realize that 'You' are consciousness. Listen. Be extremely alert to bring the unobserved mind patterns in the light of your consciousness. Use memories to learn and become more aware. Allow. Watch egoic reactions. Watch physical reactions. Free yourself from all concepts. Meditate. 