Yoga and Meditation vs Ego

[The Hammer]

Yoga and Meditation May Enhance, Not Diminish, Our Sense of Self

So, as it turns out, and I am sure many of us are already aware, but yoga and meditation can actually increase ones egotistical tendencies, and foster a mindset of overt self-importance. Do traditions such as Buddhism or Hinduism that regularly practices these as part of their spiritual life, have a set of checks and balances to counteract these potential drawbacks? Can they be incorporated secularly?

 

[ajay0]

The essence of the teachings of yoga and meditation is to understand the false lower self or ego and the higher Self or awareness or state of pure consciousness.

The lower self or ego is a bundle of psychological impressions which obscures the natural state of awareness or Self.

Meditation dissolves these psychological impressions (vasanas in hinduism and Sankhara in buddhism) and reveals to us the higher Self, which is our true self or identity.


People can practice Hatha Yoga and gain tangible benefits from it, which can boost their self-esteem. If increased physical and mental capabilities increases the ego, it actually strengthens the lower false self. This can happen, as it is happening in the martial arts which were originally designed for spiritual and moral development. Imo, this happens because people do not strive to understand the philosophy behind yoga and the martial arts. and are focussed only on the tangible benefits.

For this reason, in some traditions in Hinduism, study and practice of Hatha Yoga is discouraged.

 

[steveb1]

Yoga and Meditation May Enhance, Not Diminish, Our Sense of Self

So, as it turns out, and I am sure many of us are already aware, but yoga and meditation can actually increase ones egotistical tendencies, and foster a mindset of overt self-importance. Do traditions such as Buddhism or Hinduism that regularly practices these as part of their spiritual life, have a set of checks and balances to counteract these potential drawbacks? Can they be incorporated secularly?

In everything I've read on Buddhism, there are indeed plenty of warnings against imagining one is Enlightened, against thinking that Enlightenment is "proved" by the development of paranormal powers ("siddhis" in one tradition). The leveler is probably the teacher him/herself, who, having been through the ego-loss process, ought, at least in theory, be able to detect subtle ego in students.