You Are Not Book.indb - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

The self-Centered “I” / 101
In spiritual practice, it is often suggested that we must
“get rid of the ego.” But is not ego “I” __________ (fill in
the blank), and how can one “I” (ego) gets rid of another
“I” (ego)?
To illustrate, while “I” was in India, after 5 years a newly
arrived student approached me and said, “Wow, you’ve been
here for 5 years. You’ll probably stay forever.” “I” replied,
“No. I’m leaving in June.” The student said, “Oh, that’s just
your ego.” “I” said, “I” used to have the ego called ““I” want
to stay,” now “I” have the ego called, ““I” want to leave.” It’s
all “I,” only ego.”
This understanding is paramount to decipher the enormous
amount of misinformation in “spirituality.” We must
understand that “I” hate God,” is as much ego as, “I” love
God,” or “I” want to serve God and get enlightened,” is as
much ego as “I” don’t want to serve God.”
Many people think that the thought, “I am great,” suggests
a big ego, and “I am worthless,” a small ego. However, “I am
worthless” can suggest as big or even bigger an ego than the
“I am great,” depending on the degree to which someone
believes that is who they are.
How then can we come to a place of trying to “get rid”
of ego, when the “one” doing the “getting rid of ego” is a
new ego that was placed there by the nervous system with a
new “spiritual” philosophy and life(style)—in short, a new
hidden agenda, which is to help the ego survive. In other
words it is an “I” that believes unknowingly that if we get
rid of the ego “I,” then “I” will become “enlightened” and we
will survive better.
Your “external world” exists only as long as “I am” is
there. And since the “I am” appears after the act is done, it
is, therefore, an illusion to believe that “you” do or imagine
that “you” do. Because everything that this “you” perceives or
imagines it chooses only appears after the perceived (imagined)
choice has already taken place.