60. Ego.🔗

❖ Understanding only is wisdom.

❖ Man struggles and suffers only because of his wrong understanding of what he has created in his mind about life and relationships.

❖ Incorrect understandings are graves getting formed in the mind.

❖ If all the questions and doubts of the man have to be resolved in only one word, then it is only 'understand'!

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A logician asked the lady Zen Master, Shalana: What is unavoidable to man?

Shalana said: Death.

The man asked: What has to be won over by man?

For this also Shalana said: Death.

The man further asked: What is the root cause for man to get entangled in various problems?

Shalana said: Death.

❖ Unavoidable – Death of the body.

What has to be won over? – Death of the mind.

That which has to be corrected – Death of life.

If the ego, which totally controls body, mind and soul, dies, every thing will become all right.

The medicine which destroys ego: UNDERSTANDING.

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'One cannot understand a woman's mind.'

Is it possible to understand a man's mind?

'Woman's mind is very deep.'

Then is a man's mind within reachable distance? With what instrument did you measure?

It will be embarrassing if we ask the poets who write exaggeratedly about women.

As a matter of fact, nobody can ever understand anybody else's mind. The reason is that the mind is deep only. So nobody can understand the mind easily. This will apply to men as well as women.

Beauty of the soul will be visible in the face. The niceties of the inner feelings will be visible on the facial expressions. When a person has severe stomach-ache to the extent of giving considerable pain, and if he tries to laugh, how will that laugh be?

It will only be pretence. However much he tries to speak and laugh normally, the expression of his pain will surely be evident in his facial expressions.

When ordinary stomach pain makes a change in our facial expressions...

To what extent the mental pain, which is present in every one of us, and known only to us, affect our facial expressions as also the way of our expressions? To what extent will it affect our social life? Think well.

The soul gets pungent, becomes decreased in goodness, ego gets strengthened further and further the mental pain increases.

Sudden outburst of anger, Unanticipated frustration, Anxiety without any specific reason, Hatred that comes without any specific purpose.

All the above are the very important symbols of a person's soul getting pungent and it being affected by ego.

Anger, agitation, anxiety, and hatred - all these are the expressions of ego only.

After taking a bath in the sea, we have to take bath in fresh water. Otherwise, the layer of salt which has formed itself on the body will spoil our peace of mind. Particularly, if there is a wound on our skin and if the sea water comes in contact with that, there will be no limit to the irritation we get.

Ego does the same job within us. It is only because the ego creates the wounds in our minds, mental pain and suffering happen even in ordinary aspects of life.

Prithviraj is an average person suffering from mental pains. His nature is such he wishes nobody should suffer due to him and also that he should not in any way harm others.

But, what a pity...

He did not live as he wished even for a day.

That day, Raj, who had returned home, vexed with some problems he had faced in his office, poured out all his disgust on his family members and then returned to his normal self. He got angry even for small mistakes of his children.

One hour later, even if his children did certain things not to his liking, he will softly say: See child, you should not do things like this. You can take liberty in our house, but if you do this any where else outside our house, you will earn a bad name for yourself and for me. Do you understand?

So saying he coolly solved that problem.

‘Are these really children at all Oh...One heat-branding mark for a bull, one single word for a good boy...Either you should know by yourself, or you should listen and accept advice from others. Oh! These children are born, without either of these, only to torture me...’

The same man, who, an hour earlier, had humiliated and tortured one and all in the house saying, ‘As is the mother, so are the children...’ has now become very normal and calm.

Raj came for psychological consultation. He began saying, ‘There is quarrel very often in my house. Even my wife and children do not understand me. Even yesterday....’

‘Yesterday, one hour earlier there was quarrel in your house. But you did not suffer nor were affected when the children behaved the same way an hour later. For the same condition, earlier you had suffered but later did not suffer, which means with whom is the real problem?’ I asked. After thinking for some time, Raj replied, 'The problem is with me only....!'

I asked, 'Yesterday, before you became angry, what was the state of your mind?'

After thinking for quite some time, he said, 'I was in a disgusted state of mind due to problems at work.'

Because Raj was rather intelligent, he understood very clearly whenever each matter was explained to him.

I further explained to him, 'Since you were in a very low mood, even ordinary actions of others seemed to affect and bother you. On your returning home, after an hour, your mental pain had subsided. You had come back to normal conditions. Therefore even if others behaved in such a manner to make you angry, you did not become angry. The reason for your problem is your mental wound only. Do you understand?'

That person who was complaining, 'Nobody understands me' returned home motivated and inspired and with the satisfaction of having got the answers to his problems, knowing, 'My soul had become pungent and had become wounded. That was the reason for my problem. First of all I should understand myself....'

Mental wound will be there to the same measure as the ego. Mental pain will be there to the same measure as there is mental wound.

Fights and quarrels will continue to be there to the same extent as that of mental pains.

Keeping yourself as the center and having the fights, quarrels and disturbances happening outside as your guidance, find out the extent and measure of the mental pain within yourself. You will come to know the potency and strength of your ego.

Try to reduce the pungency of your being or soul. The well being of the soul will begin to increase automatically. Family life will be a happy one.

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A meaningful incident.

❖ A Zen story which gives the answer for the question, 'Which one is ego?'

The astronaut, who returned from trip to the moon, gave the stones he had brought from there to his Master.

When the Master asked, 'Oh fool, a lot of stones like these are there in our garden itself. Did you use a rocket to bring this?' the astronaut got pained sharply somewhere.

The Master explained, 'The cause for your pain is only your ego.'

Search for the reason. You will discover the ego.

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Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 15.

Having known every thing, you wish only to act as though you don't know any thing....deep in your mind!

Psychologists say: Whatever happens around you, only 2% of it comes to your attention.

In that case who is responsible for the balance 98% not coming to your attention?

The same doctors who expressed the above truths, also say 'Though only 2% gets registered in your conscious mind, in your sub-conscious mind, everything that happens gets registered continuously.'

If through hypnotism, we take an accident victim upto the sub-conscious mind, he is able to say what all happened around him.

He is a person who knows every thing. He is able to say about the car which knocked him down in a second, its number, colour of car, sticker; even the small scratches on the car.

After waking him up from hypnotic state, when he is in his conscious state, if enquired about the same accident, he struggles to say even the type of car which knocked him down.

Having known every thing, he remains a person not knowing any thing.

Does it not appear strange that he is talking as though he does not know any thing about a thing known to him fully? Though strange, it is a fact.

What is that which makes a man believe he knows nothing while he knows every thing? What makes him act like that?

It is only the mental desire, which likes to be dull and lazy.

It is only a part of the ego.

It will appear surprising for you to read this. But this is the truth.

It is sufficient if your level of consciousness increases from 2 % to 3 %.

Your illusory desire will come to light.

If this is recognized just once, it is enough. The illusory curtain lying between known and unknown things will disappear easily. So begin to remove it.

An inner picnic.

61. Blanket of the soul.

❖ As you think...

You are not body...

You are not mind too...

Then who are you?

Continue this article along with the conscious feeling of examination given by this question.

❖ 1. Crown of the head. 2. Eye-brow centre.

3. Throat pit. 4. Chest centre.

5. A little above the navel. 6. Slightly below the navel.

7. Lower end of the back-bone.

All these seven are the entrances which help to reach the soul.

All the meditation techniques, Vedas and rituals are created in relation to these seven locations only. These are called as 'Chakras' or 'Energy centers'.

Only in these energy centers, body, mind and soul all the three are inter-connected inseparably.

❖ Visible soul is body; Invisible body is soul.

Reason: Body and soul are not individual ones. The interpolation called mind only splits and shows body and soul as separate ones.

As the mind which is covering the soul as a blanket moves away, body and soul will become merged with each other.

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The argument between four persons who went to the lake-side became serious and resulted in a quarrel.

One of them said in Tamil mixed with Hindi, 'Come on let us quench our thirst by drinking 'paani' from the lake.'

Second person said in chaste Tamil, 'It is possible only for 'thanneer' to quench the thirst. How can 'paani' quench thirst?'

The third person, who was an Englishman, said in English mixed with Tamil, 'Don't blabber. It was only my grand-father Lord Watson who dug up and made this lake in 1920.'

He has said, 'The entire 'water' of this lake will quench the thirst of people of seven villages. So, 'water' only will quench thirst.'

The fourth person said in Bengali-mixed Tamil, 'What foolishness! All the three of you are lying. For the last ten years it is only my father who has taken over this lake on contract.' He said, 'It is only the 'jal' in this lake, which protects us in the summer. That quenches our thirst. So 'jal' only will quench our thirst.'

As the argument continued further and further saying, 'It is only paani..., it is only thanneer... it is only water... it is only jal...' the conversation became a quarrel. Nobody went to the lake.

If they had gone to the lake without any arguments, all the four of them would have understood the truth. They would have understood that what all the four of them spoke was about one and the same truth only.

❖ The human mind lives only by clinging on to the ancestor's rituals and rules of the religions and the different religious books compiled by the words of only one and the same God.

This spurs differences; invites fights and revolts.

❖ Go beyond the quarrel of words. Dive into the lake called religion. Truth will be known.

❖ Vedas are not for discussing or disputing! It is for divine experience!

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Soul is the one which is accepted by all religions by various names... Aathma, Atman, Aanma, Aathuma and any more terms.

The soul is only at the brow centre.

The soul is only at the throat pit.

The soul is only in the middle of the chest.

According to the statement of the Rishis (seers) of Vedic times, according to my own divine experience, the brow centre, the throat pit, the middle of the chest are all only entrances for the soul. Like these there are seven entrances present in our body.

If one gets the experience of the eternal bliss of self realization, for him the world itself will become blissful. The reason: That man enters into and gets immersed in the ocean of bliss which is very much present within him.

You can find the full dimension of boldness only with an enlightened Master. Not only boldness, you can find the full measure of other types of feelings as well only with him.

Whenever Rudravendan came to know of any thing new, he would be frantically eager to know fully about it. Rudravendan came to know that Nagamuga Rishi had come and was staying near his town. Vendan wanted to discuss with him about spirituality.

He sent him a message written on palm leaves, through his guards. The message written was, 'You come and see me. I will be extremely happy to discuss with you about spirituality.'

Nagamuga Rishi sent a reply, 'I have no time to come and see you. Also I do not like foolish discussions.'

Rudran thought, 'If he is so badly discarding my order, that Rishi should be a great man.' Rudran sent his minister to bring him with all respects, duly giving him gold and other things.

Nagamuga Rishi said, 'Take away this trash. If he feels it is important to see me, ask that lazy man to come and see me. You may go.' On being treated with indifference once again, Rudran got wild. Enraged very much, Rudran said, 'He should come here immediately. Otherwise go and tell him that he will be sentenced to death.' And he sent his army commander with this message to the Rishi.

Nagamuga Rishi sent back the commander with the words, 'I have died already. That fool cannot kill me.'

Rudran was shaken by this reply of Nagamuga Rishi. Whatever it is, he was a king after all. With great fury, crying, 'Is it so?' Rudran got up with the sword drawn out of its sheath, and started with his entire army and paraphernalia and reached the entrance of his palace. As he reached the entrance he was shocked.

There was Nagamuga Rishi at the palace entrance.

Nagamuga Rishi said in a loud voice, 'Cut me. By doing that you will see and I will also see the collapsing and falling down of my cut body. You will see and enjoy and I will also enjoy that. Go on cut.' Each of these loud words of the Rishi descended like thunder in the mind of Rudran.

The very second Rudran understood that, 'Rishi is so emphatically talking about one particular thing, which is so far not known to him but the one that should and must be known to him.' He became calm and peaceful. The naked sword which was in his hand became lose from his grip and fell down.

After this incident, Rudran received the spiritual teachings of Nagamuga Rishi, became a spiritual man and ruled his country well.

Each person dies while he gets enlightened. The ego called 'I' dies away totally.

'I - my caste, my Gothra,

I am suffering.

I should be fine.

He has insulted me.

I should achieve.'

Man thinks as 'I', only the matters connected with all such things.

The real and true 'I' is the 'being' or 'soul'; 'I' is the blanket covered over that 'soul' - Ego.

As long as the man remains as an average person, he cannot understand the truth that 'self' only is the 'soul'.

So far, what all man has been thinking as 'I', the destruction of its root cause, namely, Ego is equal to the death of a man in this world. Both are same.

When one gets enlightenment, the ego dies. When man dies, the body dies.

When there is life in the body itself, if the ego dies, the real 'self' will blossom within a person as a self-experience.

Man will become changed as an expression of the soul which is the main cause of all things right from the time of birth of the universe. It is only then that the blissful incident of man becoming an enlightened person happens.

For a Master who has found out the root cause of the universe itself, and having become that, all the three times, namely, past, present and future are the same.

For a person of wisdom, (Gnani) this body is just like a shirt. His body may be destroyed. But there is no destruction for the Gnani. Nagamuga Rishi had realized that, so he could behave boldly and with so much of clarity.

Soul is indestructible. Soul cannot be cut, nor can it be burnt. Soul is permanent and is full of bliss. When such a powerful and sacred soul is present inside, it is the play of ego that the man pays many, many births as price for even petty things.

This play can be stopped at any time. Or it can be played for a very long time. The power of nature permits both.

Whether to die struggling with the ego or to live blissfully with the soul? This is a decision an individual has to make.

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A meaningful incident.

Wisdom-filled poetic words of Kabir:

'Listen my friend! Listen! My beloved Master lives within me'

This is not for Kabir alone; it is true for you as well!

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Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 16.

There is a parcel. It is mailed from Bangalore to Thiruvannamalai. The details of the address to where it goes, is not the parcel itself. The address is only the label stuck upon it.

You are a male.

You are son of so and so.

You are the father of these persons.

You are a doctor...an engineer...

--- All such labels are not the real 'you'.

Who is that 'you' which has found its place in all the above explanations or labels?

All the labels and the descriptions about you are only blankets which are covered over you.

You are not the blanket.

But, the root cause of all confusion of today is this blanket only. To know the truth we have to pass beyond the thought, 'I am just a blanket only.' That mental blanket has started to believe that it is the man. Though it is rather difficult to understand, it is the truth.

Some of these labels are the only truths about the 'you' known to you.

But what is strange in this is, until you go beyond these explanations and labels, 'you' are not the real you. It is a wonder that a different one, which is not you, is living as you by you. That is why I say, 'Man has not yet begun to live.'

It is only because the truth is such that you are not able to destroy that blanket. If somebody insults the blanket, you feel as though you are insulted. This is the reason why you are not prepared to change yourself. Even if you try to change, this is the reason it appears to be very hard.

Removing the blanket is possible, as you begin to act. Meditate upon these truths deeply.

As soon as you take a decision to change as a new man, these truths will help to show you the path as the guiding lights along the way.