The greatest challenge for anyone is the annihilation of the Ego. The ego is illusory but while it is there, it haunts, taunts and persecutes all of us.
Here’s a Zen story that illustrates the influence of ego.
The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and a military leader. But despite his fame, power and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. He often visited his favorite Zen master to study under him. The fact that he was the Prime Minister had no effect on their relationship, which was simply one of a revered master and a respectful student. One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, “Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?” The master’s face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, “What kind of stupid question is that?”
This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, “THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism.”
Ego is the wall which you build around yourself to protect you. The ego will tell you “If I am not there, you will be unprotected, vulnerable and too much at risk. So let me guard you.” But this wall is the wall of imprisonment. There is a certain protection that no one can harm you; but it also does not let in people who can help you and love you. It protects you against your friends as well.
The protection of the wall of ego is like a small child in the mother’s womb. Everything is there; every need of the child is fulfilled immediately. There is no anxiety, no fight. Every need is fulfilled by the mother. But would you like to always remain in the womb? It is comfortable, but it is not life. Egos have caused wars and created boundaries and borders. What use are these boundaries when they hinder you from seeing the divine in every living being?
How to identify Ego?
When you say “I walk”, “I talk”, “I sleep”, it is ego. When you say, “Why did this happen to ME”, “How could this happen to ME”, it is ego. When you are angry, disappointed and upset when things don’t go the way you expect, that is the state of ego. When you are happy because you succeeded or things went the way you expected, it is actually the ego which is happy.
When you drop the “I” or the ego, you become eternally blissful. You will never be disappointed or angry or upset. You will be able to see the divinity and blessings in every situation and person. This egoless state of being is called detachment.
It doesn’t take days or years to be detached, it takes just a moment when you drop the ego and become free. Being detached and egoless does not mean failures or success won’t matter or affect you. It simply means that in every situation, you will be completely aware. It will give you the power to look at life from a different perspective and you will be able to find solutions where you thought none existed. When you are detached, you are able to live life to the fullest.
Meetu Sehgal
Meetu Sehgal, Personal Transformation Coach, EFT Trainer, NLP Practitioner, Tarot Reader and Holistic Healer, is Masters is Psychology and MBA graduate from SRCC, Delhi University. Through her training and coaching sessions, she has been passionately working with individuals helping them resolve health, wealth and relationship challenges. You can reach her at meetu.sehgal@gmail.com or www.divineinnovations.org
