A Question of Taming the Ego
It is necessary to tame our Ego because until we gain power over it, it has power over us. Also any quality connected with Ego or has its roots in the Ego will continue exercising its power over us. A fear based ego will produce fear based desires, which produce fear based goals. Anything which is based on fear exerts power over us. For eg. we fear that we will be a flop in public speaking and that fear will prove that it is real.
Once the ego is conquered, we will discover that our desires also will change. The change will be from self centeredness to other centeredness. That explains why so many successful people are Philanthropists. Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru writes in his book Questions to a Zen Master that “To have a goal to get or grasp something is really a sickness of the mind. You don’t need a goal, if you are concentrating on what you are doing and complete it the way you intended to, in the beginning. Here and now, if you concentrate, you concentration will illumine you unfailingly. If you have an ideal, you will reach it”.
When we are born, we came equipped with an ego, which gets programmed by the various people and experiences we come across. Initially, it helps us to survive; it shields us from danger that is constantly bombarding us. When a baby is born, in its own mind, there is nothing that it cannot do. It is almost fearless about doing things because it thinks that everything is possible. We teach the baby that there are things it can do and cannot do. We teach the baby about our accomplishments and failures, so that the child takes over from where we left off. We teach the child who he is by programming his ego. In fat, we are duplicating the baby making him or help a chip of the old block.
The overshadowing ego conceals the reality of who we are, making it difficult to discover who we really are. Our true self is buried and enlightenment is only overcoming the ego and discovering ourselves. Until we become aware of the role of the ego in our lives, we shall remain as its victim. Periodically, we receive clues, insights, intutions, of who we really are, but they are just glimpses which fade out because we are redisposed to live in this make believe world. Therefore, the path the truth, the path to success, begins with awareness. Once we become aware of our ego, we become aware that we have remained a victim instead of being a hero. We judge a thing as good or bad when we are concerned with the results of its occurrence. There is nothing good or bad, as there is only what it really is.
The saying is, “One man’s poison is another man’s nectar”. Take an example of the death of the spouse, which can cause a life time pain to the partner. The spouse was suffering from severe pain and was praying for death which actually happened and became incidental. In many religions and cultures, death is a cause celebration. A masochist, for example enjoys pain like the Sadhu resting on iron nails. It is all a question of mental attitude.
One way of taming the ego is to expand the main because habitual thinking leads life into a rut or routine. The definition of ruts is an “uncovered coffin with the ends kept open”. So, expanded thinking enlarges the mind, which does not come back to its original shape and dimension at any point of time. It is like the rubber band which once stretched does not come back to its original dimension. Experts say, “Nothing will change for you until you change the way you think.”
Once the ego it tamed, we can discover our true self and expand in any manner we like. The most amazing thing we notice daily is that successful people take risks, become illogical and sometimes irresponsible. So, you can safely presume that you are on the right track once the majority of people disagree with you.
Remember that our ego is always on duty. Only awareness gives power and control over it. Poloius said in Hamlet, “This above all; to think our own self be true.” Our picture of ourselves should at least be ours. When we have to wrestle with it, we will know what we are dealing with. Knowing is half the battle. The sign over the entrance door of the school of Socrates in ancient Greece said, “Know thyself” therefore, one should test his own limits because the core values reveal his intrinsic perfection. One should strike a new path to discover this real self.
Once the ego is conquered, we will discover that our desires also will change. The change will be from self centeredness to other centeredness. That explains why so many successful people are Philanthropists. Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru writes in his book Questions to a Zen Master that “To have a goal to get or grasp something is really a sickness of the mind. You don’t need a goal, if you are concentrating on what you are doing and complete it the way you intended to, in the beginning. Here and now, if you concentrate, you concentration will illumine you unfailingly. If you have an ideal, you will reach it”.
When we are born, we came equipped with an ego, which gets programmed by the various people and experiences we come across. Initially, it helps us to survive; it shields us from danger that is constantly bombarding us. When a baby is born, in its own mind, there is nothing that it cannot do. It is almost fearless about doing things because it thinks that everything is possible. We teach the baby that there are things it can do and cannot do. We teach the baby about our accomplishments and failures, so that the child takes over from where we left off. We teach the child who he is by programming his ego. In fat, we are duplicating the baby making him or help a chip of the old block.
The overshadowing ego conceals the reality of who we are, making it difficult to discover who we really are. Our true self is buried and enlightenment is only overcoming the ego and discovering ourselves. Until we become aware of the role of the ego in our lives, we shall remain as its victim. Periodically, we receive clues, insights, intutions, of who we really are, but they are just glimpses which fade out because we are redisposed to live in this make believe world. Therefore, the path the truth, the path to success, begins with awareness. Once we become aware of our ego, we become aware that we have remained a victim instead of being a hero. We judge a thing as good or bad when we are concerned with the results of its occurrence. There is nothing good or bad, as there is only what it really is.
The saying is, “One man’s poison is another man’s nectar”. Take an example of the death of the spouse, which can cause a life time pain to the partner. The spouse was suffering from severe pain and was praying for death which actually happened and became incidental. In many religions and cultures, death is a cause celebration. A masochist, for example enjoys pain like the Sadhu resting on iron nails. It is all a question of mental attitude.
One way of taming the ego is to expand the main because habitual thinking leads life into a rut or routine. The definition of ruts is an “uncovered coffin with the ends kept open”. So, expanded thinking enlarges the mind, which does not come back to its original shape and dimension at any point of time. It is like the rubber band which once stretched does not come back to its original dimension. Experts say, “Nothing will change for you until you change the way you think.”
Once the ego it tamed, we can discover our true self and expand in any manner we like. The most amazing thing we notice daily is that successful people take risks, become illogical and sometimes irresponsible. So, you can safely presume that you are on the right track once the majority of people disagree with you.
Remember that our ego is always on duty. Only awareness gives power and control over it. Poloius said in Hamlet, “This above all; to think our own self be true.” Our picture of ourselves should at least be ours. When we have to wrestle with it, we will know what we are dealing with. Knowing is half the battle. The sign over the entrance door of the school of Socrates in ancient Greece said, “Know thyself” therefore, one should test his own limits because the core values reveal his intrinsic perfection. One should strike a new path to discover this real self.
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