This is a YouTube video titled "Eckhart Tolle on How Spiritual Teachers See Ego" containing a monologue by Eckhart Tolle recorded in late 2024. In this talk, Eckhart Tolle explores the concept of ego, particularly in the context of spiritual teachers and identity formation. He discusses how ego manifests through conceptual self-identification, the pitfalls of ego in spiritual teaching, and the human compulsion to derive a sense of self from possessions, body image, and superiority. The content is a reflective and instructional discourse rather than a conversation.
And so anything that you do, let's stick with spiritual teachers. Some of you, I know some of you are already spiritual teachers in whatever capacity. Perhaps you're a therapist, perhaps you're working with people in some capacity. And many others of you are destined to become spiritual teachers. It's either directly or indirectly, either formally or non. Formally, of course, you are destined because the world desperately needs awakening and awakened humans. And so a danger no matter where you are. But right now we are just talking about becoming a spiritual teacher or being a spiritual teacher in whatever way. Anything that becomes a conceptual sense of self means the ego is coming back in through. Coming in through the back door. And so is it not true then, that at this moment I am a spiritual teacher? Yes, but only in the sense that it's a function. And while this function is happening right here and now, I could say I'm a spiritual teacher. But when I walk off this stage and out the door, if I then carried a mental image of myself as a great spiritual teacher, I would be walking like that. And of course everybody else would be inferior in my mind. And without knowing it, I would be walking around with a huge ego. And sooner or later the ego would contaminate or obstruct my ability to teach. It could contaminate the teaching with egoic falsehood, or it could completely block the intuitive teaching. That happens when you. Which means the ego, when you get out of the way. When you get out of the way, something that transcends the limited you. I call that sometimes the surface I that gets out of the way. And then the deep I emerges as the unconditioned consciousness. And it can use your mind. And that's the way to ultimately use your intelligence in a way that. That no longer puts the intelligence in the service of madness. So spirit being a spiritual teacher is a function. When I go away from here, I need to immediately relinquish a mental image, a narrative in my mind that tells me who I am, that is a conceptual sense of self. But of course, this not only applies to spiritual teachers, it applies to anybody in any situation. Where do you derive your sense of self from? What is it that gives you your sense of self? I know, of course, that on a purely surface level, spiritual teacher works. It can solve problems. When you can tell a person who says, what do you do? You could say this and that. Usually I don't say spiritual teachers. If I go to a foreign country and sometimes at the border or at the airport, they're custom say, what do you do? Why Are you here? And usually I say, I'm a writer, I'm an author. Okay, that solves the problem. I don't go into. I don't advise you to do it either. Saying, I have no conceptual identity. They probably won't let you in. We don't want people who have no conceptual identity. Now the question then is, how do you let go of deriving your sense of identity, which is very important in everybody's life. Sense of identity, after food and shelter is probably the most important thing in your life. It starts, even little children, very soon. They look for an increasing sense of I. There's a compulsion in every human to look for a satisfying sense of self, of identity. It starts with a little child that says, well, maybe it starts. But the moment the parent tells the child, you, you are Mary, you are John. John. John. Yes, John. John. Oh, John. Hi, John. What's your name after John. That's the beginning. And it can't be avoided. You cannot tell a child, no, you're not John. You're nobody. It has to grow. And then John or Mary have a toy, and then another child tries to take it away. It's mine, my toy, mine. Concept. It's a mental concept. You. You associate something in the external with who you are. The toy becomes a mental form. The sort of my toy. There is self within this thought of my toy. And when the toy is taken away, the pain does not arise because the toy is taken away. Because probably a few minutes later the child loses interest in the toy anyway. The pain arises because something is pulling at your sense of who you are. Mine. And that's painful. And that's only the beginning of it. And then it goes, it grows the conceptual self that associates with things, that identifies with things, comes not only with things. These are all thought form. The thing become. The thing becomes a thought form. It's mine. And then you derive your sense of self and you always. You need to compare with others because the ego seeks superiority. You derive your identity from having. In some area of your life, you need, the ego needs some kind of superiority to feel is somebody. So this is. I'm mentioning this because it's important to recognize it in yourself because it can be a huge obstacle to the awakening and it can deceive you and it can come in the most unexpected places. And this is why I mentioned spiritual teacher. So you identify with. Then of course, it's not only possessions. Body is very important in the egoic identification. Body, physical body is the source of suffering for many people. And the source of pride for others. And then there's a whole range of people who are in between. Sometimes they feel good about their body and sometimes they don't. You can read magazines and so on. They all talk about your body, your body, your body. So of course you identify with the physical form. And if it's stronger or better looking than other bodies, it is food for the ego. But if it's not as good looking or well formed as other bodies, it's still food for the ego if it makes you suffer. So it's not that only the great things are ego, but also the sense of having less than somebody else is ego.
