Question: You seem to advise me to be self-centered to the point ofegoism. Must I not yield even to my interest in other people? Maharaj: Your interest in others is egoistic, self-concerned, self-oriented. You are not interested in others as persons, but onlyas far as they enrich, or enoble your own image of yourself. And the ultimate in selfishness is to care only for the protection, preservation and multiplication of one's own body. By body Imean all that is related to your name and shape--- your family, tribe, country, race, etc. To be attached to one's name andshape is selfishness. A man who knows that he is neither bodynor mind cannot be selfish, for he has nothing to be selfish for. Or, you may say, he is equally 'selfish' on behalf of everybodyhe meets; everybody's welfare is his own. The feeling 'I am theworld, the world is myself' becomes quite natural; once it is es-tablished, there is just no way of being selfish. To be selfishmeans to covet, to acquire, accumulate on behalf of the partagainst the whole. I Am ThatNisargadatta Maharaj . Nisargadatta Maharaj
About This Quote

This quote is often used by people who are looking for a deeper understanding of the concept of God. Nisargadatta Maharaj was talking about one's ego. No matter what religion people are practicing, god, or some other higher being is usually revered as being something that is more powerful than the ego. If you are really interested in what he is saying here, you should look up his books yourself to learn more about the concept of God.

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