Eckhart Tolle interprets Jesus' teaching to deny yourself as pointing to the illusory nature of the ego. Like Buddha, Jesus urged recognition that the personal self is not real, and that a deeper reality exists beyond conventional identity.
Jesus said deny thyself, what does it mean? What is the point in denying yourself? If yourself is actually real, if it has a substantial ultimate reality, then to deny something that is real wouldn't make sense. He said that because he agrees with the Buddha, that that identity that people carry around with is ultimately an illusion. There is something deeper that is beyond that. So when Jesus says deny thyself, what is really meaning is recognize the unreality of yourself. Recognize it. Ultimately, this is not who or what you are.
Why alcohol feels like relief, and what it is really giving you | Eckhart Tolle
