ACTivism: Ego

Written By: Puck Arks of TFD 

 ACTivism: Ego

 

Today vast amounts of information are easy to obtain. Choice is endemic. If we are interested in meditation we can access the teachings of thousands of years in a few short seconds and soon be reading hundreds of pages of the sayings of ancient masters. It’s a wonderful thing to have such ready access to virtually all the wisdom traditions in the world.

However, the ego self often uses information gathered from outside sources to reinforce its own beliefs. In our practice we must let go of this type of accumulated knowledge. We acknowledge its value, but realize that it limits our life experience in the same way blinders limit the view of a horse pulling a carriage. We don’t want to turn our spirituality into a basic reinforcement of our own delusions.

The problem, of course, is that it is comfortable and easy to search for knowledge on our computer, but difficult to sit for many hours dealing with our inner turmoil. It is difficult, boring and painful to just be present with the chaos that we see when we first attempt to turn our attention inward. Fortunately, the chaotic energy diminishes in time, and is eventually replaced by clarity, peace and bliss, but only after considerable time and energy are expended. 

Although we would like to skip this step and go straight to mastery, it is just not possible. Whatever we are practicing we have to pay our dues. This is the way the human body/mind works. But in the end, the peace it brings is worth it.