Hang on to Your Ego

The ego has received a lot of bad press. The ego is seen as the selfish, overinflated part of the self, the part we need to get rid of to allow our true spiritual self to rise up. This is a partial truth. In reality, the ego is an essential part of our spiritual makeup. It is the part of us that works out what is real, that organizes thought and makes sense of the world around us.

It is true that for many of us the ego has become a distortion, and that this distortion is due to isolation: we have forgotten the unity of all things and our place in the rich and ever-unfolding web of life. Recognising this is a vital step in the journey towards wholeness. However, this step is not without its own pitfalls. For instance, it is common for those on a spiritual path to talk of getting rid of the ego. The problem with this is that it is the ego itself that is talking about getting rid of the ego. Trying to quash the ego is like taking hold your throat and trying to strangle yourself to death.

The ego in its pure form, in the real and vital meaning of the word, should be allowed full expression. What we commonly refer to as egotistical is the distortion, which is most often the result of an underdeveloped ego: an overcompensation to make up for a lack. Those with a healthy ego seldom need to big it up.

Negating the ego is just another form of repression. It can lead to hiding our light under a bushel when we ought to be radiating it out into the world.

The ego is not something to be battled against, but rather something with which to develop a healthy relationship. The ego is not the whole picture but a part of us, and once we step into our full self, the ego takes its place and is no longer an issue.

We transcend the ego without trying, without even thinking about it, because we are living as a full expression of ourselves.

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe.

Dogen

Surrender is an inevitable part of spiritual growth – letting go of the judgemental mind in order to accept things as they are, surrendering what we think we are in order for something much greater to rise up from within. But we are not looking to lose our heads, nor are we aiming to be ruled wholly by our hearts. It is when the two are working together in healthy union that we are fully integrated, and the Sword has been fully reforged.