Man is perceived by some as a "chromosomal robot, a game in the hands of the unconscious", or "a mechanism for social determinism". On the other hand, conceptions such as the "Perennial Philosophy", and the major spiritual traditions consider man as the holy casket of divine spark - "Son of God, God, as He and I are one" - ("La Trinosophie de L'Etoile Polaire", François Brousse, La Licorne Ailée).

Around these visions of man, paradigms and models attempt to encompass the concepts of the "ego", and of "suffering".

Freud's definition of the goal of psycho-analysis was "to transform neurotic distress into common unhappiness", to relieve pathological suffering while remaining powerless when faced with the inherent pain afflicted upon the human condition.

The Perennial Philosophy, spiritual traditions, and more recently, Transpersonal Psychology all claim the possibility of overcoming "common unhappiness" in order to attain an optimal human development.

The human models known as saintly, just, wise or enlightened are amongst those who have realized that optimal development.

Likewise, Buddha said that he had come to speak of suffering, its origins, and its end.

As we shall see, this implies a "sacrifice of the common human ego", which will lead to the eternal Self.

Yet the idea of such a sacrifice terrorizes the mind of those who are used to clutch at reason.

As Soygal Rinpoché writes in his book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying", "when we hear of expressions such as 'ego-less' or 'vacuity', we think that experiencing these states would equate with being ejected out of a spaceship to float endlessly in dark, frozen space".

Therefore, before dealing with the suppression of the ego, we shall grant it the position it deserves, considering its all-encompassing power , amidst its multiple reflections.

These reflections will be followed, for example, through the dialogue of the different "inner voices" or "sub-personalities", in the near-death experience (N.D.E.), and in the chain of transmigrations of the soul as they are dealt with by the therapies that take them into consideration.

Slowly yet surely, the eternal Self will emerge like the most secretive room of a castle, or the diamond with countless facets, but reflecting through each of them - the unique light.