Thoughts on Buddhism

[Bgood]

Your ego is your mind. No mental construct is possible without the primary concept of ego. The pure consciousness - without ego - is nothing - no thoughts, feelings, judgments, emotions - nothing. What you ask here is that man should surrender himself - his ego, his mind, his everything - and become an automaton, simply capable of awareness and reaction - not thoughts or judgment.

You are somewhat correct but I think you misunderstand the purpose of letting go of ego, especially during meditation. It is in the gradual lessening of the ego that lessens anxieties, fears, possessiveness, etc. The over-reliance on ego generally causes alot of personal human suffering. Realistically ego will probably never fully disappear or be completely surrendered, but the effort to reduce it's dominance is vital according to most Eastern philosophies. Supposedly, the complete conquering of "ego-self" is the state of Nirvana. I can't really imagine what that is like all the time, but I think I have had brief experiences of something akin to it, usually by chance or circumstance.


I added definition because ego IS quite a "heady" term. I don't see it as meaning 'the mind; or the brain as you do though. It has no real physical basis as I see it. It is kind of abstract.

e·go 
noun, plural e·gos.

1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.
2. Psychoanalysis . the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.
3. egotism; conceit; self-importance: Her ego becomes more unbearable each day.
4. self-esteem or self-image; feelings: Your criticism wounded his ego.
5. ( often initial capital letter ) Philosophy .
a. the enduring and conscious element that knows experience.
b. Scholasticism . the complete person comprising both body and soul.

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Buddha was a mythical peddler of platitudes. Worthy of respect? Yours perhaps, but not mine.

Mythical?
I seriously doubt that Siddhartha Gautama was purely mtyhical character, ALTHOUGH there definitely are legends attached to his lifetime. A good example would be like St. Francis of Asissi. (a real man, good saint, but some mythos surrounding him also)

Peddler of platitudes? When the most important practice he espoused was silent meditation? There is def more to him than commercial bytes.

Not Worthy of respect? Well, that's your opinion but if he isn't than I guess you would say the same for Lao Tzu, Gandhi and Dalai Lama. I actually find it hard to find men more worthy of respect. (esp in religion)