Expert: Justin Choo - 9/25/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello again Justin.

I'm just curious what your opinon on this subject is: Do you think it's possible to completely annihilate your ego?

thanks

ANSWER: Hi Luke,

Welcome back.  If you read my earlier answer to you carefully, I think you would find the answer.

Why not you give me your opinion first, by return mail?

Then I shall give mine, which actually is a foregone conclusion.

I shall wait for your reply.

Justin Choo

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello

I think it's not that simple Justin.
As far as I know ego does not exist, so how can one kill something that does not exist. But I think you can kill your misconceptions about something that does not exist.
On the other hand I've read somewhere that ego is your identity, so you cannot kill it completely because then you would lose your identity.

I liked the examples with the parking lot you gave me last time and I understand now what ego is, but I cannot imagine myself how's that possible to completely get rid of it. I think you would have to stop being a human being or something :) Dunno ...

Take care

Answer
Hi Luke,

So you have a way out of not having to answer your own question, since you view ego as non-existent.

We humans have to prescribe a term to express an idea or concept.  It makes it more difficult when the idea or concept is nebulous.  So you can say that the term "ego" is non-existent.  But the "feeling" of something more than this physical body still lingers on.  In Buddhism, it is advised that we should not waste our time indulging in speculation on something that we will never comprehend completely.  We should concentrate on other beneficial pursuits like how to reduce our greed and hatred, and how to live a harmless and peaceful life.  Anything else is not really important or beneficial to our spiritual well being.

Coming back to your conjecture that "you would have to stop being a human being or something" to be without an ego; There is this story of someone asking the Buddha who he was.  

He asked the Buddha, "Are you a deva (angle)?"
The Buddha replied, "No."
He further asked, "Are you a god?"
"No."
"Then who are you?"
The Buddha replied, "I am a Buddha, a fully enlightened one."

Yes, Luke, if you can rid of your ego, you no longer belong to the foolish human species!!

You are a Buddha, or at least you are an "Arahant", one who has rid of all greed, hatred and delusion, rid of the EGO.  There is nothing left for you to exist in this unsatisfactory world.  Your final destination is Nibbana, where the concept of ego does not exist anymore.

Take care.

Justin Choo