This is not a metaphorical story, but rather, when the love of the Higher Self overflows and the ego is sufficiently purified, the ego remains within the Higher Self and settles down. The Higher Self is filled with love and gratitude, and it envelops the ego with that love and gratitude.

When the ego is purified, it remains within the Higher Self as its core. It's as if the Higher Self and the ego are in different dimensions, and the ego itself is an illusion. The ego is only a manifestation of thought (buddhi), specifically the avamkara. Therefore, it is not always present, while the Higher Self is always full and does not disappear. The ego appears and disappears, overlapping with the Higher Self, manifesting in the chest. That ego is the "I" that exists in this world, the Jiva in Vedanta (the "I" that identifies with the ego, the avamkara). However, the Jiva is necessary for living life, and it is the core.

This core, the ego (Jiva), determines all choices in this world, including thoughts, judgments, and emotions. However, if the ego is in harmony with the Higher Self and is enveloped in love, the ego is safe and secure.

There are many people who are quite spiritual and say similar things to manipulate people's feelings. However, in many cases, this state is not initially present. Sometimes, people participate in seminars and become enthusiastic, but in reality, nothing changes. This is often because the Higher Self is not actually manifesting. How manipulative it is for people to create that feeling in seminars.

The people who can immediately "envelop the ego with love" may have been like that since birth, or they may have practiced some form of discipline, or they may have practiced spirituality for a while. Those who can do it immediately can do it, and in many cases, they are simply explaining something they already know and understand. It is rare for someone who could not do it before to suddenly be able to do it after attending a seminar.

As an exception, the guardian spirit may be concerned and work very hard for that moment. However, it is often temporary. Furthermore, this kind of story needs to emerge from within oneself. While there may be times when someone else's influence allows you to glimpse that feeling for a moment, it is still just a glimpse.

■Enveloping the ego with love is a result, not an action or a means.

In my opinion, enveloping the ego with love is a result, a state of being, not an action.

Therefore, when people are told to envelop their ego with love, they usually cannot do it. Those who can do it were able to do it from the beginning, and the difference is simply that they have become aware of it. Those who cannot do it cannot do it immediately, even if they are told to.

There is an order to this. First, you need to meditate and concentrate, gradually reducing distractions. Then, you need to enter a state of stillness. When you reach that point, the kundalini energy begins to move. When stillness is complete, observation begins. As observation becomes stable, a state of love and gratitude from the higher self fills the chest. When the love and gratitude of the higher self become stable, and the ego is sufficiently healed, the ego begins to be enveloped by the love and gratitude of the higher self. Only then can you say that you are enveloping the ego with love.

Even if the ego is hurt by something or if you remember something that was once a past trauma, if the love and gratitude of the higher self are firmly enveloping it, the ego will only feel a little pain in the chest. Basically, the fluctuating ego will not come out of the embrace of the higher self, and everything remains in a state of complete observation, and emotions are completely experienced and observed by the higher self.

At that time, the ego actually feels a little pain in the chest, but the higher self is quietly observing.

This kind of story is often heard in spiritual circles, and it has become quite common and almost a cliché. However, when people are told to observe, let it go, be grateful, or love, that is the same as what I wrote before, it is only the conclusion. Therefore, even if you try to do it, it is not something you can do directly. These states are results, so the means are different. First, you need to start with meditation and reach the love and gratitude of the higher self.

By the way, if the ego is so impure that the higher self cannot emerge, you will literally live a life filled with the ego. On the other hand, if the ego is too weak and the higher self is too dominant, you will have a hard time living your life. Both are possible, and the ideal state is to cooperate. Spiritual people tend to undervalue the ego, and often treat the ego as an enemy. However, in reality, if the ego is properly purified, it is a capable organ that does its job properly. A clear sensory organ is needed to properly perceive and react to the surrounding environment, and the ego is a very useful thing if it functions properly.

■As the Jiva, I am enveloped by the Atman.

Generally, the ego is considered to be the self, but in terms of terminology, the ego corresponds to the Ahamkara in Yoga and Vedanta, and the reaction of Buddhi is said to be Ahamkara. The ego itself is not a thinking organ, but rather consists of the mind (Manas), which is a fluctuating heart, the memory (Chitta), and the thinking Buddhi. Therefore, the ego is only the Ahamkara, which is the reaction of Buddhi. So, the expression above can be interpreted in a slightly different way from a Yoga perspective, but what is being said here is that the Jiva (the worldly self who identifies with a false self) is enveloped by the Higher Self.

As mentioned above, saying that the ego is enveloped by the Higher Self is understandable from a spiritual perspective, but in Yoga and Vedanta, it feels like "what is this?" If we use the language of Yoga and Vedanta, we can say that the Jiva is enveloped by the Higher Self, which is the same thing.

However, it should be noted that Yoga and Vedanta themselves do not say this. This part is just my interpretation.

As the Jiva (which includes the ego, Ahamkara, Buddhi, Manas, and Chitta), I am enveloped by the Higher Self (which is equivalent to the Atman, and according to the Samkhya school of Yoga Sutras, is equivalent to Purusha).

The Higher Self is equivalent to the Atman, and in Vedanta, the Atman is described as Sat Chit Ananda, which is pure consciousness that permeates all of space and transcends time. Therefore, the Jiva, as a self, is confined to a particular point, but the Atman permeates space.

However, in my current state, my awareness is limited to the space around me, but I can live feeling that all the space around me is God.

I mainly feel the Atman in the depths of my heart, and I feel bliss, love, and gratitude centered around my heart, but that spreads to the surrounding space. And, the Jiva (ego, Ahamkara, Buddhi, Manas, and Chitta) exists in a space that overlaps with the heart.

In this way, the Jiva, as I am, is enveloped by the Atman.