Personality

Personality is nothing but a boundary that separates us from other people so that we can protect ourselves from what we think is noxious to us. But when you block part of yourself, you create tensions and armoring in the body. Not only do you have a pain that cannot be discharged; now you're suppressing it, or pushing it away. This creates an increasing tension, which in turn makes your capacity for healthy regulation and discharge even less. So the situation gets worse. (Diamond Heart Book 2, pg 89)

The personality will do anything in its power to preserve its identity and uphold its domain. This tendency - or, let’s say, this need - is so deep, so entrenched, so completely the fabric of our identity, that only the person who has gone a long way toward establishing the essential life will be able to apprehend and appreciate this. This need is in our flesh, blood, bones even our atoms. The power of the personality is so great, so immense, so deep, so subtle that the person who contends with it for a long time will have to give it its due respect. Its power is awesome. Its subtlety is unimaginable. Its intelligence is limitless. (Essence, pg 45)

At some point we can perceive that the inner child, the ego, the ego identity, the emotional self, the mind, the false personality, the observer, the doer, the actor, the one who resists, and the one who hates, are actually all one. They’re just different phases of the same thing that we call personality, appearing in different forms depending on the situation. We have seen that Essence is a substantial Presence, but we are surprised when we realize that it is not only Essence that is substantial; the personality itself is a substantial existence. You can observe that even your personality itself is a material. It has an inner substance. (Diamond Heart Book 4, pg 4)

Personality and activity

We can see that this activity of personality -- which consists of reacting to situations by dredging up memories of certain childhood object relations that are somehow associated with the situation, identifying with one or another of the images in that object relation and then manifesting certain automatic emotions and behaviors -- completely lacks freshness, newness. It is a reaction of the past to the present. Being, on the other hand, is the absence of such reactions. (The Pearl Beyond Price, pg 57)

Personality and realization

The old idea, that the personality must be loosened almost completely before Essence is realized has to be modified in light of the latest findings. The old idea is that the personality is the barrier and must be removed before there can be recognition of our essential beingness. Our findings indicate that Essence can be realized in steps or in degrees, simultaneously with work on the personality. Each essential aspect or facet has a psychological constellation associated with it. This association is universal to all people. Understanding and resolving the relevant psychological constellation (which is only a sector of the personality) will allow the associated aspect of Essence to emerge into consciousness. (Essence, pg 59)

It is true that we need to realize Essence, to free and establish all its aspects. But this is not to make the personality better. It is not so that the personality can say, "Oh great, now I'm enlightened. Now I have this and this and this which I can use to get what I want!" No, the point is that the personality itself finally realizes its own bankruptcy and that it's very existence is the problem. This realization cannot occur without the presence of Essence; this is the value of Essence. You can go to one teacher after another, you can read hundreds of books and have all kinds of insights, but this won't transform you until the knowledge itself, the understanding itself, becomes Essence. Your personality can learn only when Essence is actually there. (Diamond Heart Book 2, pg 42)

Personality and true nature

Personality is not something to be eliminated. It is simply full of fear because it does not know it’s true nature. The personality needs to be completely and thoroughly understood and cherished. Only with that compassionate, accepting, objective love is it possible to understand the true reality of the personality. (Diamond Heart Book 4, pg 17)