Mahamudra approaches self‑cherishing and ego fixation not as enemies to be suppressed, but as movements of mind to be clearly recognized and understood. Thoughts such as “me, my, mine” are regarded as transient mental events, arising and dissolving within awareness rather than as evidence of a solid, enduring self. Through calm abiding and insight, attention is gently returned again and again to bare, non‑conceptual awareness, allowing egoic patterns to display themselves without being followed or fought. As these patterns are seen more directly, their apparent solidity weakens, and self‑cherishing begins to lose its compelling force.

A central method is to examine the sense of “I” itself. Inquiry such as “Where is this ‘I’?”—in the body, in thoughts, in feelings, or in awareness—reveals no independent owner behind experience. The self appears as a conceptual designation on a dynamic stream of phenomena, rather than a fixed entity. In this way, ego‑fixation is understood as a habit of misperception, a form of ignorance that mistakes what is dependently arisen and empty for something separate and truly existent. Because it is rooted in misunderstanding, it is addressed through clear seeing rather than through force or self‑hatred.

Mahamudra further invites the practitioner to use afflictive emotions themselves as part of the path. When strong self‑cherishing, defensiveness, or other kleshas arise, they are recognized as displays of mind and experienced directly, without elaborating stories around them. Observed in this way, their energetic quality is revealed as insubstantial and empty, yet vividly present, and they can self‑release upon arising. What would ordinarily reinforce ego thus becomes an opportunity for insight, as thoughts and emotions are seen as movements within awareness rather than as expressions of a solid self.

Over time, repeated familiarization with this mode of seeing transforms view, meditation, and conduct. The view recognizes that all phenomena, including the sense of “I” and “mine,” are empty appearances in luminous awareness. Meditation rests in that awareness, allowing self‑grasping thoughts to arise and dissolve naturally without manipulation. Conduct gradually reflects less defensiveness and grasping, as the boundary between self and others softens. As ego‑fixation loosens, the mind’s natural warmth and compassion emerge more freely, not as an imposed ideal but as a spontaneous expression of realizing that no solid self stands apart from others.