Egocentrism – Sri Paul Twitchell
November 1968
Dear Friends:
The subject we take up this month for discussion is one of the most important of all – that of egocentricity. This is the factor in one's self in which everything in the world revolves around the individual's self. It is self-centeredness, that which we often call egotism.
It is a mental trait found so often in those who, without anything in life, desire to be pretentious about their own worth to the world. It can be said that this is somewhat the mental habit of the age. It is somewhat true of the various sciences developed in our times, like theology, which become dogmatic in nature. When one acts as the final authority upon a subject, he is apt to be heading towards egocentricity.
When the chela begins his journey to God under the Living ECK Master it's like accepting trust in the pilot of an airplane. After the journey is started he must trust the Master, for there is no other choice in the matter. He may cry about surrendering his will but this is the cry of the ego, a vain alarm for it has no value in life. The chela never surrenders anything to the Master that he should keep. It is merely a case of trusting his higher interests in the hands of a spiritual expert. He accepts the guidance of the Master over a path that is unknown to himself. The Master never gives a command but simply advises.
Egotism is a false concept of the intellect of each person. The Buddhi is that power used by the Soul as Its chief instrument of thought. When empowered by Spirit it produces thought, discriminates and decides. Then it passes its judgment to the Ahankara, which executes the decision. If the mind is tainted with egocentricity it brings about decisions which involve self with everything related to that of the individual. Thus we arrive at egotism.
The Ahankara is one of the four divisions of the mind, the faculty of separating self and self-interest from all else. It is the "I-ness", but when exaggerated it becomes Vanity, or egotism. The normal ego is good but when it begins to take on proportions of enlargement it becomes a disease, and begins the destruction of the individual. It is often created within the individual by those who are in spiritual poverty. When it starts taking hold of its victim there is little peace of mind and it will use its own as a separate entity to gain the upper hand in everything. It usually develops in those who have little in material or spiritual values in order to make them look good in their own self-image. This is how many psychic readers prey upon people who are seeking to justify their own existence in certain lowly states.
Self-righteousness is one of the most prevalent and most outstanding characteristics of the ego. The letters that often pour into our office show that many are in the clutches of this hateful disease of the mind. Many make claims to ruling the world, when nothing is to show for their statements. Others make exaggerated statements about their powers, blocking the truth from reaching them. Vanity is the support of the superstitious; it breaks up marriages and establishes dogmatic relations. It assumes wisdom and makes life miserable for its victim. Often these people fall into mental patterns as neurotics, paranoids and other chronic mental disorders which affect our societies today.
On the surface vanity represents an infallibility, but underneath this mask we find anger, self-assertion, bigotry, domineering, scolding and fault-finding. Its primary assumption is its own infallibility. The victim imagines he is boosting his own virtues by pointing out the faults of others, while at the same time he is only advertising his own shortcomings. The antidote for this is Humility. Unless the person so afflicted by egotism does not allow the Master to take over and conduct his life safely, he will suffer in the trap of Kal for many lives. The egotism of man should not lead him, but by obeying the laws here we can avoid descending to the lower levels.
This is the great gap in man's thinking. So many persons believe that by studying metaphysics, occultism and other works in this field they can get above the laws of this world. This is not true for we must realize that while living in the human state of consciousness all are subject to the laws of the physical universe. We are not able to transcend time and space in the flesh, but can in Soul body. So the physical side of ourselves must be obedient to these laws of mind and body, while Soul is obedient to the laws of Spirit. This is what defeats so many and they cannot understand why they suffer.
Frequently I receive mail from persons who have run into problems of trying to mix the laws of material and spirit. They are in a terrible quandary about their own lives and are desperately seeking a way out of the morass. They have read many books, taken many metaphysical courses, studied under dozens of teachers. Still the problem persists. Why doesn't God step into their lives and adjust their affairs to what they expect of Him? First, they are expecting themselves to be placed above the laws of the physical world by book, or mental knowledge, and secondly they expect to tell God how He should take care of their affairs. What is wrong here is that none shall violate nature's laws and escape her penalties. It's like disobeying traffic laws without knowing what the laws are. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. We pay the penalty anyway.
The next blunder is that we often feel that we are above the law of this world. Our egotism leads us into such ignorant beliefs. It is only that the misguidance of the ego thrusts the chela into the darkness and leaves him without any light. If the chela is an Initiate his secret word can be used to illuminate the ego with the light of reality. It is the state of rebellion against the Living ECK Master, without the chela being aware of his wrongdoings. Many chelas are slow learners and somewhat rebellious and have as much to unlearn as well as learn.
We must come to value the voice of the Inner Master even though at times it is a struggle to be obedient to It, but sooner or later the chela will come to learn that It is all wise and knows what is best for all concerned. This voice of the Inner Master is always ready to speak when the chela is ready to listen. It directs a person to his greater universal good and it is then that he begins to understand the meaning of "I Am Always With You."
I am always with you.
Affectionately,
Paul Twitchell
From the book, Eckankar: Illuminated Way Letters 1966-1971