There is no avoiding, ignoring, circumventing or transcending the ego. It is not an option, whether we accept this fact or not does not matter.
Some religions, and spiritual systems claim to have a way around the ego, but they are only avoiding the issue.
We live in a relative world governed by the law of duality. Its very nature guides us to the understanding that the only way to be a whole embodied being is to accept the fact that harmony lies at the fulcrum.
We are embodied beings as long as we exist on this earth, and no amount of mind tricks can change that fact. We were given an opportunity to live in a body so that we could fully embrace all that we experience every day.
To live in the body is to accept the fact that there is an ego that needs our attention. The secret is not that we need to eliminate the ego, but to rewire it. Many people treat the ego as if it is the enemy, and in a sense they are correct, if we are to allow the ego to control us.
There have been numerous studies that indicate that we are able to literally change our mind. By simply resisting the urge to do something we wish to change, we are able to reprogram the circuits in our brain causing a change in circuitry that creates a new activity.
The same is true for the ego, if we are to follow the thought behind our actions, we will find that the root cause generally leads us to realize that there are desires, motivations and agendas that cause us to act in a certain way.
By knowing why we do the things we do, we gain the understanding that we can use to change the way we see the world, and begin to change the tide of the ego.
To accept this is a step in the right direction, to seek to understand who we are and what we are here for is to jump forward. To realize that we are here to use this knowledge to guide others to understanding is a leap forward.
Of course, this is the opinion of one who has found through first hand experience, that avoidance of the ego is just not possible.
Anyone else run headlong into this issue?