Photo Nabani Das Khyapa Baul - Babu Kishan's Grandfather and Guru.
EGO = is AhamKara, you have to have an EGO to be here, you are here, you are not an illusion. You are real and deserving to take up space. BAUL TANTRA says, strengthen your EGO and point it in the RIGHT direction. Know the principles and point your EGO (AHAMKARA) upward. To be a Tantric, especially a Tantric sitting in the burning grounds you better have a strong Ahamkara (Ego) or someone (a spirit, a poisonous snake) will take over you. If you destroy your EGO you destroy YOU!! You better know who you are and that EGO (self) best be pointed in the right direction, you must be strong not void or vacant.
This is why Tantra is not for regular people or people who do not know who they are?
This is why the ancients have 6 (basic) philosophies and combinations and variations depending on the lineage.
Do not get stuck in kill your EGO you are an illusion, Buddhism follows only one or maybe 2 of India philosophies.
EGO (ahamkara) is simultaneously inconceivably one-ness and difference, Achintya-Bheda-Abheda. The Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum Bengal (the roots of Baul) have always been Dvaita (Form, Duality) and Advaita (non-dual) whoever said you can not have one without the other.
The problem today is that people are not correctly educated or developed have strongly developed Graha's planets, there are 9 and to attain Mastery one has to develop all including discernment (Mercury) and Good Judgement (Jupiter) and of course if we are talking Tantra (Venus) the lord of Desire and Guru of Tantra.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul the last of the original Bauls of Bengal.
All Bauls follow him! New book will explain all.