Give up the ego

CHENNAI :The negative ego within us can trigger a sense of competitiveness and envy in us if we are not careful. If we have a tendency to compare ourselves with others, we should remind ourselves that a person deserves all the good things that have come to him because they are the result of his past good deeds. “I will also get what I deserve at the right time in my life. I will wait patiently and enjoy every moment. I will not spoil my present and future by allowing the negative ego to generate these bitter feelings of comparison in me. I will remain connected to my true self and fill my heart with the sweetness of joy by rejoicing in his happiness and praying for his well being.” This fills us with a feeling of gentle contentment. In this way, when we refuse to judge and gauge others, we are loosening the roots of the positive ego. By striving for positivity, we become far more relaxed and natural in all our relationships. We do not have to hide our inner feelings of complacence, comparison, competitiveness, insecurity or envy because we have come out of that rut forever. We do not need to wear masks to fool the world. We can throw away all our masks because our bright smile no longer hides a jealous heart. Our sympathetic face no longer conceals a critical mind. Since we cultivate an attitude of benevolence towards everybody, we can be honest and open. We indulged in these mind games without realising that our masks are extremely dangerous. They break our inner awareness and make us lose touch with our true self. When we wear a mask it conceals the light of our soul from us. Then life loses its simplicity and our peace and contentment drain away. When we practise hypocrisy, we lose our spontaneous joy and enthusiasm for life. In spite of all the masks we wear, the subtle expressions on our face, the way we speak and our body language unconsciously reflect our true feelings. That is why we say, “The face is the index of the mind”. So an astute observer is never deceived for long.God, our creator, is constantly aware of our duplicity and hypocrisy. Ultimately, we are deceiving no one but ourselves. This compulsive urge within us to please society at a cost is removed by loosening the roots of the ego. We realise that the people who praise us today when we meet their expectations are also the ones who will chide us tomorrow when we disappoint them. We understand that criticism is the shadow of praise and that we should stop shunning censure and craving applause. When we are genuine and natural all the time, our divine vibrations of peace and contentment will help others to relax and be themselves in our presence. People may initially think that we are blunt. They will soon realise our true worth and develop unshakeable trust and faith in us.Since we began this journey together, we have realised that our transactional life is no different from our spiritual life. We know that just as the sun bathes all beings with his light, the radiance of the soul encompasses all aspects of our life. All that we have imbibed so far will help us to harmoniously integrate our inner and outer lives. So when we fix our goal and destination, harness our thoughts and feelings, soften and remove our mindsets, develop faith, trust and belief in ourselves by following our conscience, and loosen the roots of the ego, we are preparing our minds to accept meditation. Just before you begin meditating for a period of three days, make a firm resolve, “I will loosen the roots of my ego by dropping the habits of judging others and comparing myself with them. I will rejoice in their joy. I will operate from the awareness that every thought, feeling, word and action is generating karma and will keep my feelings gentle and benevolent. I will welcome every situation in my life with the understanding that it brings me what I need most for my inner growth and evolution. Now my mind is prepared to accept meditation.  I will meditate to realise my self.” After you have made this resolve, meditate for three days. We will then continue our journey and go into the aspects of how to respect and utilise the dimensions of time and space in meditation.