Jung On Purpose Podcast by CreativeMind

Episode Title: Awakening Your Mind: Beyond Ego and Illusion
Hosts: Debra Maldonado & Robert Maldonado, PhD
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Debra and Dr. Rob Maldonado take listeners on a journey through Jungian psychology, Eastern spiritual philosophy, and the science of social neuroscience to explore how we can awaken to our true selves. The main focus is on distinguishing between ego and pure awareness (the intellect or "Buddhi" mind), seeing through illusion, and using discernment to cut through the limiting narratives that define our unconscious patterns. The hosts provide practical metaphors, personal stories, and step-by-step guidance on how to access a deeper reality and live with greater authenticity and purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the Buddhi Mind / Intellect

[01:23–03:23]

• Dr. Rob introduces the concept of the "Buddhi mind" from Eastern philosophy (Sanskrit: Buddhi), which reflects "pure consciousness" or awareness.
  • Quote [01:28]: "It's the awakening, enlightened mind. Very few people know about it because in Western psychology, this is completely ignored." (Rob)
• Western psychology’s notion of meta-consciousness is similar but not the same as the Buddhi. The Buddhi is about reflecting absolute reality ("Brahman").
• Debra uses a metaphor of a smoke-covered mirror representing the ego mind. When the smoke (ego) clears, the true self is revealed—unlimited and pure.

2. The Power of Discernment

[03:23–04:35]

• The Buddhi intellect provides discernment: the ability to distinguish truth from illusion.
  • Quote [03:23]: "Discernment simply means you're able to understand the subtle differences ... between truth and illusion, the real and the unreal." (Rob)
• True happiness comes not from worldly things but from seeing ourselves as we truly are: infinite.

3. The Ego Versus the Self—Limited Versus Infinite

[04:35–09:44]

• The ego is a personal narrative, a "little brick in the wall," giving a sense of smallness and limitation.
• People often define themselves by career, achievements, relationships, or social roles; this is the ego-identification, which always leads to disappointment because nothing in the world is truly permanent.
  • Quote [06:07]: "Nothing appears to be permanent...Through your senses directly...there seems to be nothing that remains constant." (Rob)
• Debra uses the classic metaphor of blind people and the elephant to illustrate how the ego only ever "sees" part of the picture, never the whole.

4. Discovering the True Self—The Permanent Awareness

[09:44–12:17]

• The intellect allows us to discern between the impermanent (ego) and permanent (true self).
• The true self is the "awareness in which all those objects arise"—this awareness has always been with us, unchanged.
  • Quote [10:26]: "Our ego, our identity, our body, our self concept is also an object that the awareness is aware of." (Debra)
• Trauma and life’s difficulties affect the ego, but not the pure awareness within; the self remains untouched and whole.

5. Living From Possibility Instead of Limitation

[12:17–14:00]

• Our core psychological illusion is that we're limited.
• A practical tool: whenever you’re making an assumption about yourself, ask, "Is this limitation or possibility?"
  • Quote [12:17]: "A simple question anyone can ask is, is this thinking or this assumption I'm making about my life limited or in possibility?" (Debra)

6. Projection and Its Role in Suffering

[14:00–16:43]

• Projection is a mind mechanism where we assign unacceptable parts of ourselves to others.
• Quoting Carl Jung: "The internal conflict becomes an external conflict." (Rob [14:12])
• Personal story (Debra): Realizes unavailability projected onto others was her own, and recognizing this "cut through the delusion."

7. How Do We Work With Projections?

[17:55–18:05]

• The solution isn’t to get rid of projections but to see through them. When recognized, their power dissolves.
  • Quote [18:05]: "We don't have to get rid of our projections. All you have to do is see through them." (Rob)

8. The Intellect as Reflective Awareness

[18:05–21:02]

• Uses the metaphor of a bucket of water reflecting the moon to explain how our mind reflects pure awareness.
• We can observe our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings because awareness is separate from them. If we were only ego, we couldn’t observe it.
  • Quote [20:07]: "If we were the ego, we would not be able to observe our ego. We would be the ego." (Rob)
• Enlightenment or awakening isn’t something to strive for but to realize: it’s already present.

9. Meditation and Everyday Awareness

[21:02–24:14]

• Meditation isn’t the only way to access this awareness. Observing your thoughts and emotions is a form of self-reflection and witness consciousness.
• Practical advice [22:31]: Become the witness—when feeling emotions, see them as "my mind is experiencing anger" rather than "I am angry."

10. Dreams, Waking Life, and the Nature of Reality

[24:14–25:42]

• Debra draws parallels between dreams and waking life—both are forms of experience arising in consciousness. Realizing this helps reduce attachment and over-involvement in ego drama.

11. The Freshness of Pure Awareness

[25:42–27:15]

• In pure awareness, everything is new and fresh, as if seen for the first time. Quoting Zen and William Blake:
  • Quote [26:42]: "When the doors of perception are cleansed, we will see everything as it really is, infinite." (William Blake, cited by Rob)
• Falling in love is powerful because the ego temporarily drops, and we glimpse pure consciousness and interconnectedness.

12. Signs of Ego-Driven Life & Next Steps

[27:15–29:07]

• Anxiety, fear, and stress signal ego identification.
  • Quote [27:15]: "When you’re worried, afraid and stressed, you know you’re not in pure awareness." (Debra)
• Recap and promise of episodes to come: deeper exploration of Buddhi mind, integration of conscious with unconscious, and creativity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Ego as Smoke:
  "Imagine sitting in front of a mirror… there’s a lot of smoke in front… That’s basically what we see as our ego mind… The intellect or the Buddhi mind is when all that smoke disappears." (Debra, [02:20])

• On the Ephemeral Nature of Reality:
  "Everything is spinning. Everything is shifting and changing. Therefore, in Eastern philosophy… that’s considered unreal because you can never really define it." (Rob, [06:07])

• On Projection:
  "Jung says the internal conflict becomes an external conflict. So we are essentially attracting people that are going to show us our repressed emotions." (Rob, [14:12])

• Personal Awakening Moment:
  "It was like a moment we have… If you’re quiet enough and you’re willing to accept responsibility... the light comes in, the wisdom comes in, and it cuts through the delusion." (Debra, [16:20])

• On Meditation and Immediate Awakening:
  "You already have it. It's simply becoming aware of it." (Rob, [22:31])

• On The Freshness of Pure Awareness:
  "You're seeing everything almost as if you're seeing it for the first time. Because there's no projection, there's no judgment on it… this is the first moment that you’ve ever lived." (Rob, [25:42])

• Using Emotions as Guideposts:
  "When you’re worried, afraid and stressed… you’re running from ego… you’re not seeing things as they really are." (Debra, [27:15])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:23] – Introduction to the Buddhi Mind/Intellect
• [03:23] – Discernment: Truth vs. Illusion
• [04:35] – Understanding The Ego’s Limitations
• [09:44] – True Self vs. Ego Self
• [12:17] – Choosing Limitation or Possibility
• [14:00] – Projection and Psychological Suffering
• [16:43] – Debra’s Story of Awakening Through Projection
• [17:55] – Seeing Through Projections
• [18:05] – Building Reflective Awareness
• [21:02] – Meditation and Immediate Awareness
• [22:31] – Practical Steps to Cultivate The Witness
• [25:42] – The Wisdom and Freshness of Pure Awareness
• [27:15] – Recognizing Ego’s Signals

Takeaways

• The ego is a small, conditioned self that leads to limitation; pure awareness (Buddhi) is always present, infinite and untouched by life’s ups and downs.
• Suffering often comes from misidentifying with the ego and projections—awareness brings freedom.
• True transformation begins by distinguishing the real from the unreal—which anyone can start by mindfully observing thoughts, feelings, and narratives.
• Meditation and dreamwork are tools, but the pure awareness you seek is always here; the journey is about recognizing, not achieving it.

Next Episodes: Deeper on the Buddhi mind, integrating conscious and unconscious, and igniting creativity!