What is selfishness?
Synthesized from Source
definition
"Selfishness is the shadow of the ego; when you look within with awareness, you find that the ego is an illusion, and love blossoms effortlessly."
According to Osho, selfishness is the shadow of the ego—a reflection of a reflection—hence unreal. Your true being is the moon; ego is its shaky image in the lake, created by lack of awareness. When you look within with alertness, the ego is not found, and with it selfishness vanishes. Then love and spontaneous, nonselfish action flower naturally, without preaching altruism.
Selfishness isn’t something real to fight; it appears when you forget your true self and disappears when you become aware.
Why this matters practically
- Reduces guilt and moralism by seeing selfishness as unreal, not sinful.
- Encourages meditation and awareness to dissolve ego instead of forcing altruism.
- Lets compassion and helpful action arise effortlessly in everyday life.
- Encourages meditation and awareness to dissolve ego instead of forcing altruism.
- Lets compassion and helpful action arise effortlessly in everyday life.
AI Confidence Score: 95%
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