Our mind is fundamentally infinite. It is not limited by the constraints of an individual existence. There is no ego. Although it does not exist, we identify ourselves with this illusory ego. It is the center and the touchstone of all our relationships. Everything that confirms its existence and is favorable to it becomes an object of attachment. Everything that threatens its integrity becomes an enemy, a source of aversion. The presence of the ego itself conceals the true nature of our mind and of phenomena. It makes us unable to discriminate between the real and the illusory. In this sense, we are prisoners of mental dullness. The ego also engenders jealousy toward persons considered possible rivals in any possible area. Finally the ego wants to be superior to others. This is pride.
Attachment, aversion, mental dullness, jealousy, and pride are the five basic poisons produced by ego clinging.
They form irrevocable obstacles to inner peace, constantly creating worries, troubles, difficulties, anguish and suffering, not only for ourselves but also for others. It is obvious, for example, that anger results in suffering for oneself and when overcome by an opponent, curses and hurtful words, for the person toward whom it is directed.
Likewise, ego and the five poisons lead us to harm ourselves and others which leave imprints with negative karmic potential on our mind. The ripening of this karmic potential will be expressed in the form of future painful circumstances.
The ego and its entourage are our true enemy – not a visible enemy which can be defeated by weapons or material objects – but an invisible enemy which can only be defeated by meditation and following a spiritual path. Contemporary science has developed extremely powerful weapons, bombs that can kill hundreds of thousands of people. However, no bomb can annihilate the ego and the five poisons. In this domain the true atomic bomb is meditation.
No comments:
Post a Comment