Ego…Do you have one?
There's no ego it's just a concept, but often we experience it as a voice within us that constantly complains, judges, evaluates, craves, escapes, desires or rejects. Actually what happens is a constantly arising of thoughts related to these mental afflictions. But if we learn to observe these thoughts without judging them again and evaluating them, we see that they are ephemeral, they arise and pass. As we train the mind to be in the present accepting things as they are, without paying attention to these selfish thoughts, we will start finding freedom and discover an inner wisdom.
It sounds easy, but how to do the habit of not following compulsively our thoughts? On this site I present a number of methods to release our ego-grasping and find peace of mind and emotional balance. I recommend starting with these methods.
We must not fall into the trap of thinking we have an ego and it's like an enemy that lives within us and we have to attack and eliminate, this only causes suffering. Nor should we try to stop thinking, that's not the purpose of mental training. We let thoughts arise but we don't follow them. In the space between one thought and another, there is a space of clarity and silence in which we can rest and from there we can see how a new thought arises in the space of the mind but we don't follow or believe it. If the thought says "you're doing it wrong," "I can't", etc. don't believe him, let it manifest and pass, and stay mindfully present. Rest your mind and your body in its natural state.
Have you experienced what happens when you don't follow your thoughts?