The Relationship Between "I" and "Me"

by Ramesh S. Balsekar (Auth) and Chaitan S. Balsekar (Ed)

You cannot have an ‘ego’ because you are the ego: Consciousness identified with a name and form as a separate entity. The sage responds to his name being called; therefore, the sage has an ego. The ordinary man also responds to his name being called.

What is the difference between the ego of the sage and the ego of the ordinary man? That is the core question.

The answer is that in the ego of the sage the sense of personal doership has been totally annihilated: he knows that he is only a psychosomatic apparatus through which the Primal Energy functions and brings about whatever is supposed to happen according to the Cosmic Law.

About the Author:

Ramesh S. Balsekar is a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. Ramesh has written over 20 books, and discusses the Indian philosophy of Advaita daily in Bombay, with visitors from around the world. The basic concept is that "all there is, is Consciousness"; all actions are happenings, the functioning of the Primal Energy, and not the doing by anyone. Ramesh frames the concepts in the context of daily living, speaking from his experience as a bank president and a family man.