Emotions are fueled by belief in inherent existence. Specifically by the belief in the inherent existence of a self. It is this self which is the ego.Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:Exactly what is the fuel?
The ego is a false self, and is composed of nothing other than false thoughts. It is a figment of the imagination, like a dream. It is capable of generating its delusions, including emotions.an ego all by itself does not cause emotions
Yes, it is "capable of" but delusion generation is not its function. Nitroglycerin is capable of killing a person in an explosion or saving a person by expanding the arteries when administered sublingually or in a transdermal paste.It is capable of generating its delusions
No Nick, I don't think so. The removal of the ego would extinguish the emotions, but just because something can undo what was done does not mean that it was a causative event.I will have to consider my opinion on whether it is the belief in inherent existance that causes this.
I believe that it is irrationality or illogic that sparks negative emotions, but I am still considering the catalyst of positive emotions. An average conclusion would be that there would be a common cause of all emotions, which could be considered "a biochemical reaction in the brain" but I intuit that there is more to it than that.irrationally assign different degrees of value to certain things.
If that is the entire definition, then all of:The ego is a false self, and is composed of nothing other than false thoughts.
would be true. I believe that I understand what the "true self" is, but I do not beleive that it is possible for a corporeal being to know all truth. Also, although it could generate emotions, that does not mean that it is the sole generator of emotions.The ego is a false self, and is composed of nothing other than false thoughts. It is a figment of the imagination, like a dream. It is capable of generating its delusions, including emotions.
There are many causes of emotion, such as the existence of life itself, but without the false self, the ego, there would be no emotion, even if all the other causes are there.Sometimes the news media will report "The drought has caused large brush fires..." No, the drought did not cause fire, a spark caused the fire.
They lead to all emotions, including so-called "positive" ones.believe that it is irrationality or illogic that sparks negative emotions
Understanding truth gives a feeling of fulfillment that is addictive to the ego. But it is a kind of drug that eventually destroys the ego from within.(to all) What originally sparked your love of wisdom in your personal experience?
Have a read of the chapter "Stages of the Way" in my "Poison for the Heart". It goes into a lot of detail about all the increments on the way to enlightenment.Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:I was hoping that you would type out a list of the order of increments by which enlightenment destroys the ego.
I still think there is something else between the ego and the triggering event that underlyes truth/falsehood, rationality/irrationality, and logic/illogic that sparks emotions. What do all three of those sets have in common?Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:If truth, rationality, and logic bring happiness and illogic and irrationality bring unhappiness, there must be a core component underlying truth/falsehood, rationality/irrationality, and logic/illogic that sparks emotions.
"Thought" is too broad, so is "knowledge." "Understanding" or "comprehension" might be components...
I do not think that it is the ego that is made to feel good or bad, but the spirit. If I am wrong on that point, then Kevin is right.A "positive emotion" is one that makes our ego feel good, such as a feeling of fullfillment, or a feeling of worth, and a "negative emotion" is one that makes ego feel bad, such as a feeling of emptiness or lack of worth.
