Ahamkara: Identity and the False Ego
That which keeps us from seeing
Yogic science provides the most comprehensive breakdown of the human mind I’ve ever seen, commonly attributing to it four distinct facets— buddhi (intellect) manas (mind, also sometimes translated as memory) and ahamkara (identity), which collectively comprise citta (consciousness or pure intelligence). For this teaching I will be addressing ahamkara, which is sometimes referred to as the “false ego” or “I-maker,” and I will be using the words “ahamkara” and “identity” interchangeably.
On a surface level, identity is often spoken in terms of “how we show up in the world,” meaning how do we appear physically, how do we hold ourselves, how do we feel to others, what do we have our attention on, what do we put our efforts towards, what kinds of things do we say, how do we say the things we say, etc. It may be seen through how we dress, how we style our hair, what kinds of clothes and brands we wear, what kind of tattoos we have, etc. We don’t have a choice as to our overall acceptance of an identity as we will show up in the world in some way whether we want to or not. Even the total denial of ahamkara as might be found in an ascetic sadhu, is still an expression of ahamkara, much in the same way as an aversion towards vanity is still another expression of vanity.
The tendency towards ahamkara comes through our ego’s relentless drive to expand its boundaries, to become more than we currently are. All of us seek to be a part of something more than what our limited selves can actualize because this is thought to ensure our survival and security in an uncertain and hostile world. In modern Western society however, our basic survival needs have more or less been met, so this pursuit has expanded into the preservation of the ego identity / personality structure, which is a conceptualized self-image solely conceited and conditioned within the mind.
Taking on a new identity will offer a seemingly viable way to preserve the conceptualized self image. One can do this with relative ease by joining a group or adopting an ideology that has with it its own set of ingrained beliefs and identity structures. Groups have far greater ability to propagate their identities at scale, which make us feel more empowered and less alone, for it’s much easier to express opinions and beliefs if they are well known to be shared by others. Taking on a group identity may be a necessary step along one’s life path, as most of us are not content with the hand we’ve been dealt so we have to take on various identities and roles to achieve within society, family, and the workplace.
But from the standpoint of yogic science, the issue with carrying on with a conceptualized identity is that it hinders one’s ability to perceive greater potential under the weight of its own unconscious limitation. A simpler way to say this is that ahamkara keeps one from seeing, and these arising blind spots carry far heavier stakes than what might appear on the surface. Ahamkara contracts the circumference of the metal bucket over one’s head, allowing in less light, where less can be perceived. This tendency of mind is a universal constant of the human condition, and while technically unavoidable, also stands as the biggest obstacle in the quest for awakening and self-transformation.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali speaks of kleshas, which are obstacles or “veils” along the spiritual path. The first klesha is avidya (a=without, vidya=knowledge) and is often translated as “spiritual ignorance,” the height of which is misidentification with physical form as the source of being. This carries over into the second klesha, asmita, translated as “egoism,” which describes the effects this false identity has on one’s own psyche, where the sense of self is grossly misapprehended through the lens of personality, status, material acquisitions and associations, the need for approval, the seeking of validation, etc.
The trap however is this: The more one attempts to embolden themself with layers of identity the more that identity will be perceived under threat, which creates endless suffering because identity is an illusion and is thus impossible to survive.
Consider the sheer number of things people identify with-- Their genetics, race, gender, sexual orientation, family, religion, political persuasion, nationality, age, caste, hair color, the food they eat, the school they go to, the school they went to, the school their kids go to, the car they drive, the car they want to drive, the coast they live on, the friends they keep, the company they work for, the fraternity they pledge, the brands they wear, the places they visit, the neighborhood they live in, the guns they carry, the intoxicants they take, the software they use, the crypto they buy, the sports teams they root for, the tv shows they watch, the illnesses they have, the number of gears on the bicycle they ride, the yoga they practice-- It is truly endless, and for every new identity label there is some facet of the societal matrix that will reflect back to you a “certificate of authenticity” for this identity, hardening it in your mind to the level of belief. See my essay A Non-Dual Perspective of Belief.
One could make a strong argument that the identity identification game has become the scourge of modern life, as it complicates the interactions between people by stratifying the false sense of self along the ever expanding emergence of technological complexity and new worldly phenomenon. One of my theories as to the growing preoccupation with identity is that as more of our life experience gets transposed into the digital space we are becoming further disembodied and disconnected from the source of our being, as our being is now perceived to be “elsewhere” among “others”, and the need to reconstitute some kind of bodily form to substantiate the identity within these non-physical environments inevitably requires greater emphasis on layered conceptualizations and abstractions of a self because there is nothing of any real substance there to begin with. And because these digital spaces are commonly operated by corporatists, this task of identity curation is left filtered through their flattened unimaginative lens. Will identifying with any of the 58 different genders on Facebook lead us towards liberation, or will it provide Meta with an additional column on a consumer metrics spreadsheet they can sell to other companies. Will the endless preoccupations with generational identity (commonly delivered in the form of victim narratives) help lift us from the self-fulfilling prophecies sure to mold our experience of life, or will it liberate us from the deterministic outcomes foretold therein. Will our blind preoccupation with humanism free us or lead to the inevitable destruction of both the physical and mental environment. The efforts to stratify identity are more shaped by restless minds than the innate tendency of a human to take control of their own well being, and these identity systems only make more complex the illusion of the false self and obfuscate any semblance of a True Self or Higher Self.
If the operating system of culture is ignorant, which it is, then why should we expect its constituent parts to not also be ignorant, as described by ahamkara, avidya and asmita above. This ignorance is perpetuated because the false identity is structured in such a way as to recognize everything but its own ignorance. It is akin to erecting iron guardrails around the most compulsive tendencies of the mind, only to show off the guardrails themselves as the most important facet of one’s own personal achievement. And the most telling thing about ahamkara is it is all void of irony, as it demands you narrow your perception in order to suit it. That’s how you know of its true ignorance. Sadhguru brings some clarity to this irony when he says, “If you must identify with something, identify with your ignorance for your ignorance is boundless.” That may be the most profound thing I’ve ever heard.
Ultimately it’s unfair to view another being as a limited identity, even if said being is hellbent on taking on a limited identity themselves. The reason why a racist or a nationalist or a humanist is so deplorable is because they lack the awareness to see past even their most basic limitations, and in doing so cannot see into the deeper dimension of another’s being, much less their own. And while this condition is undesirable to be sure, it also helps to understand that these kind of perceptual biases are the inevitable bi-product of living in a materialistic body-based culture that is governed by fear and lacks the consciousness to lift itself toward anything higher, even if the consequences of not doing so result in the systematic destruction of our own mental and physical environments.
It’s no coincidence that the rampant narcissism we see celebrated in modern culture is coinciding with the deterioration of mental health, in what is being more broadly described as the global mental health crisis. I am not one to quote stats, but I read 1 out of every 4 people currently suffer some kind of diagnosed chronic mental illness (presumably requiring medication) and this number is expected to spike to 1 out of every 2 over the coming decade. If this is anywhere near accurate then it suggests that all of us will at some point soon be confronted with the ultimate test of our lifetimes, as we will need to decide whether we want to transcend the limitations imposed on us by the deluded purview of the societal matrix, or be consumed by its downward pull into oblivion. No one will be immune. It will be our choice.
And the reality is there is no turning this ship around, at least not at the societal level. Identity neuroses and pathologies eventually integrate into the process of socialization so as to become normalized, and will continue to do so at the speed of light. Be careful of what and to whom you choose to identify with, as you will be erecting boundaries around which you will be unable to grow. And resist those who try to attach an identity label on to you, as you can guarantee it is being done for their benefit, not yours.
Namaskaram to you all.