THOUGHTS AS OBJECTS

To the witnessing mind (Atman), thoughts are objects.  This is the teaching of Vedanta’s ancient text Drg Drsya Viveka:  An Inquiry into the Nature of the Seer and the Seen.

Our eyes see the exterior world, in which case our eyes are the subject and the world is the object.
 
Our eyes are observed by our mind, making our eyes the object and our mind the subject.

Our mind becomes the object when it is observed by the witnessing consciousness, the Atman.  

What the witnessing consciousness sees when it observes our mind is thoughts.  In this instance, the witnessing consciousness is the subject and our mind the object, making our thoughts objects.

(Swami Sarvapriananda notes that there is a distance between the witnessing consciousness and our mind, which makes the observation of thoughts possible.)

The witnessing consciousness can never be an object, however.  It is the eternal subject.  The seer cannot see itself. 

UNRIPE AND RIPE EGOS

The word ego in Vedanta refers to “I”-consciousness, an individuality separate from Atman, or God.  Sri Ramakrishna distinguished between two kinds of egos, “unripe” and “ripe.”

The unripe ego is arrogant, self-centered, and world-oriented, whereas the ripe ego is a servant, or devotee of God, who can never harm anyone.
 
Ripe egos are illumined souls who, after they come down from the transcendental to the ordinary plane of consciousness, teach spirituality to others. 

The ripe ego is also known as the ego of knowledge or devotion.