Friends:

The Ego-concept is a Mental Catastrophe!

The blessed Buddha once pointed out:

Bhikkhus, these ideas: "I am...", "I am this...", "I will be...", "I shall not be...",
"I shall be of such form", "I shall be formless...", "I will experience such...",
"I will not experience...", "I shall be neither percipient nor non-percipient...",
are all self-deceptions, are all conceited fantasies, are all whimsy illusions,
are all agitated excitations, are escalated proliferations & are all inflated,
vain & narcissistic self-love, leading to egotism, puffed pride & arrogance!
Such self-deceptions are all diseases, such ego-conceits are all tumours,
such egocentric phantasms are all internal, and agonizing hooks in the mind!

Therefore, bhikkhus & friends, you should train yourselves in this very way:

We will dwell with a mind unperturbed by any "I exists..." conceiving...
We will dwell with a mind purified of any "I am this/that" self-deception...
We will dwell with a mind uninvolved in any "I will be this or that" illusion...
We will dwell with a mind without any "I shall not be this/that" agitation...
We will dwell with a mind devoid of any "I will have such a form" fantasy...
We will dwell with a mind cleaned of any "I shall be formless" escalation...
We will dwell with a mind empty of "I will experience such" proliferation...
We will dwell with a mind cleared of any "I will not experience" excitation...

Since these ideas are all self-deceptions, conceited fantasies, illusions,
agitated excitations, escalated proliferations, and are all inflated, vain &
narcissistic self-centred ego-love, leading to egotism, pride & arrogance...

Self-deceptions are all mental diseases! Ego-conceits are puffed inflations!

Egocentric phantasms are internally agonizing & painful hooks in the mind,
which incur inestimable future suffering!!! The cure is understanding the
absolute selflessness of all things, whether they are internal or external...

Thus should you train yourselves...

Comment: This inherent and somewhat hidden "ego-idea", which may seem
innocent, is the core cause of all egoism, asocial behaviour, crime, conflicts
and even wars! Therefore is it extremely advantageous to repeatedly try
to understand this absolute truth:

Sabbe Dhamma Anatta: All Phenomena are without any Self!

However counter-intuitive, puzzling, paradoxical & strange it seems initially!

More on Anti-Egoism:

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Pride.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Conceit_I_Am.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/I-dentification.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Prison_of_Pride.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Anti-EGO-Tool.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Anatta_No_Self.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/No_Agent_is_Inside.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Solo_Self-Deception.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Mistaken_Reference.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Selfless_and_Harmless.htm

The Ego-concept is a Mental Catastrophe – Pic 6 & 7

Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya. Book IV 202-3
The 6 senses section 35: Thread on The sheaf of barley. (248)
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html

The Ego-concept is a Mental Catastrophe – Pic 8 & 9

Have a nice & noble day!
The Ego-concept is a Mental Catastrophe – Pic Usual

Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ 
http://What-Buddha-Said.net
I am Not!
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May all beings become thus Happy!
Friendship is the GREATEST!

Have a Nice Noble Day!

Bhikkhu Samahita
Ceylon