Article Search:

Home | Self Improvement | Spirituality


Our Self Image Is a Ghost

By: Nirmala

Most of us think of a ghost as something that only exists after we die. We imagine it to be a piece of us that continues to hang around and haunt the places we lived while alive. What if there are ghosts of yourself that are around while you are alive? What if what you think you are, or your self-image, is actually a ghost?



Ghosts are thought to be insubstantial forms that come and go. They are not real or even solid, and most people have a hard time seeing them. And yet how solid or substantial are our internal images of ourselves-our beliefs and ideas about who we are? If you think of yourself as an unattractive person one day and then as an attractive person the very next day, was either image real? And can anyone else see your self image? What if you have a self image of being unattractive and someone is attracted to you anyway? Maybe others can't actually see your self image. What if your self image is a kind of ghost.



We are not always willing to see that our idea of ourselves is a kind of ghost because we really believe that is what we are. We may wonder, Who am I if what I think I am is something insubstantial and not real? What is here besides the ghosts of my self images?



There is a strong sense that we do exist, that we are real. But does this sense of existence and reality come from our image of ourselves? Or does the sense of being real and of existing come from somewhere deeper within our being? It's difficult to know for sure since the image and the sense of realness can both be present at the same time, and our egoic idea of ourselves can co-opt that deeper sense of realness we naturally have.



One way to know what is real and what is not is to ask how substantial are your ideas of yourself. A true measure of how real something is, is how long it lasts. If something last longer, it is more real. And how long do your ideas about yourself last? They faed in and out (like a ghost in a ghost story) and usually don't last long at all. A thought can be over so quickly that a moment later we can't remember what we were just thinking.



A new image or thought about ourselves is constantly arising to replace the last thought or image. And sometimes we aren't thinking about ourselves at all. So all our self-images images and identifications are not very real. They are like ghosts in our minds.



How about the pure sense that you are real right now? Does that sense come and go? Do you ever really have the opposite sense that you don't exist or never existed? This sense that you do exist is more true than any of your ideas about yourself because it is always here. You always exist, but the thoughts in your mind about yourself are like ghosts. What you are has never been contained in your self-images. Even when your ideas of yourself fade away, like images in a movie, what you really are is always still here .



It is the real you that matters. You can become more curious about this real you than you are about the false ghosts of identity. What is the real you made of? What is it like? What does it want? What can it do? These are rich and meaningful questions to explore, but remember that the real answers are not to be found in your ideas about yourself. The truest answers can be found in the simple sense that you exist.

Article Source: Free Content Articles Directory

Well recognised spiritual teacher, Nirmala has been offering satsang and individual spiritual mentoring for ten years. He offers free spiritual books and many more ways to explore his teachings on endless-satsang.com.

This and other unique content spirituality articles are available with free reprint rights.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Spirituality Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Self Improvement | Spirituality
 Miscellaneous:
Writers:
Sign Up for a free account
Submit Articles
Member Login
Submission Guidelines
New Articles:
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Statistics:
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Today's Hot:
About Us
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

Powered by Article Dashboard