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Ego Identification

6/17/2014

One of the greatest obstacles to setting up a regular meditation practice is ego identification. In order to truly let go we have to accept that we are not this thought, we are not that thought, we are not thought. Acknowledging this means that we must accept that we are, @ our core, pure consciousness. And that's when the house of cards we've built starts to fall down and we become afraid. What? You mean I am not my wonderful, fabulous personality?!?!

No, you are not. And neither am I.

The personality, and the ego, are useful parts of the mind/body complex. We need the ego the perform the function of gatekeeper between our everyday consciousness and subconscious mind. But when we forget that the ego is a tool that we use and allow ourselves to be used by the ego, problems occur. We sit down to meditate and find that we can not let go. Or rather, the ego does not want us to let go of it. We have allowed ourselves to be controlled by the filter. Why? Because there are issues in our lives that have not been dealt with. And what is the first thing that happens when we sit down to meditate? When we let go of the filter we see all the "junk" piled up in the mind. Yuck.

So, what do we do if we want to learn to let go, but do not want to deal with our own garbage? Well, you have to have the understanding that once you begin to meditate you will see more clearly. The solutions to the mental trash heap will become readily apparent...but not necessarily easy. When you get up from your meditation, try to hold the meditative state of consciousness. With practice, all that "junk" will bother you less. And you'll deal with it more effectively.

This earth life certainly has it's share of challenges, but with a calm, centered perspective we are better able to deal with them.

Shanti,

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Mr. Right

6/10/2014

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It seems to me that we have two cultural forces that prevent most of us from achieving our goals of living a peaceful life:

1) The need to be right.

2) The need for approval.

Now, I think if we take just a moment to really study these two attitudes it becomes readily apparent that they are not compatible. If we are working hard to convince a person that they are wrong and I/you/we are right, then probably we are not going to have their approval...and vice versa. Please, excuse me for seeming harsh here, but this is a sickness.

Is it so important to be right that we argue with friends, colleagues and loved ones repeatedly? Does any good ever come from this kind of behavior? And if people agree with us, does the compulsion to argue go away? No. We only find temporary ego gratification and then the need to be right reemerges and we find another reason to fight...again and again.

And what about approval? There was a comic strip that I read a long time ago in which the lead character stated, "Everybody is somebody else's weirdo." So true. To become comfortable in your own skin, you run the risk of offending another. Someone somewhere will not approve of the way you dress, walk, talk, smile, ect. Trying to please everyone leads to discontent.

If everyone wants to be right and everyone wants approval, what do we have?

Let's sit back and imagine that for a moment. Hm-m-m...It's not hard to visualize. In fact, we see it usually without trying. Fighting, insecurity and confusion. And, I can tell you that no matter how much we may want it, we can not control other people.

We are not apart from life, we are a part of Life. I change myself, my world changes. If you change yourself, your world changes. If I meditate and let go of trying to control others, I become balanced. And so it goes for us all. But this takes practice. And practice requires time. Which we say we don't have. But somehow, we find the time to argue.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to make more time for meditation and less time for fighting. I'm going to put more effort into watching the contents of my own mind and worrying less about changing the minds of others.

Namaste,

Sandy

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Reflection

6/8/2014

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"Every spiritual tradition advises the same: Keep the thought of death near. Don't run from it. ... The ego grows bloated by the denial of death; the spirit grows strong and steady living in its presence." ~ Sam Keen

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Awe Inspiring

6/3/2014

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It was another beautiful day as we met @ the Rothko Chapel. There's something about the place that, for this personality, makes it so easy to let go. I think that perhaps there are several reasons for this. One is that thousands if not millions of people have traveled from all over the world to come to the chapel to meditate. Another is the lovely natural setting of the place. Sometimes trying to meditate can make effortless concentration, well, effortful. Appreciating nature is a simple way to lose one's self in the miracle of the life that surrounds us. Have you ever had the experience of being wrapped up in your own circus of nagging thoughts and then let your eyes lift to notice a sky full of clouds? Did you find that for a moment or two you were so taken by the beauty that you completely let go? The circus left town, there was not a thought in your head. Nor were you daydreaming. Only the experience of that moment remained. Effortless, single pointed concentration. That's meditation, my friends.

I've decided that during the summer months the Rothko Chapel will be our regular meeting place on Tuesday evenings and some Sundays. If it rains, we won't meet. Simple as that.

Years ago, one of my clients gifted me with a wonderful book before I left Chicago. It's called The Shaman's Bulldog - A Love Story. In only 104 pages author Renaldo Fischer M.D. captures the wonder of the natural world through the eyes of an unlikely hero - an English bulldog named Faccia Bella. The dog transforms the man by teaching him to live in the moment.

Have a Blessed Evening,
S.

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Meditations, Lessons and Reflections

Ego Identification

Mr. Right

Reflection

Awe Inspiring

Sandy Stutz

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