DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

THE NATURE OF THE EGO AND ITS TERMINATION: II 71mind.Although the entire ego is essentially heterogeneous in itsconstitution, the explicit ego of consciousness is lessheterogeneous than the implicit ego of the subconscious mind. ItExplicit ego andimplicit egooperates as a formidable whole compared withthe isolated subconscious tendencies which seekto emerge in consciousness. The organised egoof explicit consciousness thus becomes a repressive barrier whichindefinitely prevents several constituents of the implicit ego fromaccess to consciousness. All the problems of the ego can be tackledonly through intelligent and conscious action, and thereforecomplete annihilation of the ego is possible only when all theconstituents of the ego pass through the fire of intelligentconsciousness.The action of intelligent consciousness on the componentsof the explicit ego is important, but in itself it is not sufficient forthe desired results. The components of the implicit ego of the sub-Intensified conflict acondition of attainingunassailable harmonyconscious mind have to be brought to thesurface of consciousness somehow andbecome parts of the explicit ego, and thenbe submitted to the action of intelligentconsciousness. If this is to be achieved, there has to be aweakening of the explicit ego in such manner as to allow theemergence into consciousness of those desires and tendencieswhich could not hitherto find admittance into the arena ofconsciousness. This release of inhibited tendencies naturally bringsabout additional confusion and conflict in the explicit ego.Therefore the disappearance of the ego is often accompanied byintensified conflicts in the arena of the conscious mind rather thanby any comfortable easing of them. However, at the end of theuncompromising and acute struggle lies the state of true poise