|
"Having your mind fixed on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, and bow down to Me. By concentrating your mind and accepting Me as the supreme Goal, you shall surely attain Me who am thus the Self." Bhagavadgita 9.34.
The teaching of devotion to the impeccable principle is the most important and powerful weapon in battle against the ego. In the subjective perception, where the ego rules, all that happens is always perceived from the ego's perspective, and the ego uses everything to make itself strong and invincible. If you go to meditate, the ego will incessantly remind you of how important the activity is and therefore deserves certain respect, or even reverence. The longer one meditates, the stronger their ego can be. They say, I am a lot more advanced because I have done meditation for years, met and spoken to many outstanding people; therefore I am a lot better than I was before. Such meditation is a total loss in a battle against ego! Ancient sages, aware of the many stratagems of the ego, developed a method of consistent non-attachment through absolute and exclusive devotion to God, either directly or through a guru. This is the principle of the Christianity as well as the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. God becomes an absolute ideal, beloved object, best friend, and a goal. To this God I may give all my possessions, all my importance; up to His decisions I can leave the path of my life. That is how I shall really begin to weaken my ego, weed it out of the mind root by root. This is the only truly effective method which brings victory quickly. In combination with meditation and true knowledge, reveals all the parts of the ego and dissolves them using devotion.
Which is a better way to love God: "love at first sight", or "marriage of convenience"? It is not important which way the devoted relationship to God is made; it is important if it leads to the happy existence in God. The relationship to God, however, must not become a bondage that the ego uses to derive its value. One who loves God emotionally should pursue deeper knowledge and thus eliminate the bondage. One who approaches God philosophically should pursue devotion and bring the philosophy to life. One who accepts God in life and submits to Him fully shall be much happier that one who lives without God. The relationship to God must liberate the being, and must not restrict or endanger anyone else. If you want to help someone, you can only do so by example, by your happy life in God.
Hardly anyone will abandon their ego, their worst enemy; so everyone prefers to shut their eyes and live in desperation. If they knew what they rob themselves of, people would lie before God, bang their heads against the ground, tear their clothes and hair, cry, beg, promise, and prey. But as they do not know it, so they will never do that. And as they will never do that, they will never know God's Grace.
To win the battle with the ego means to find out how the mind works and how the ego comes to be, through the teaching of knowledge and practise of meditation. At the same time one still must carry out the obligations that the life bring and, perpetually sacrifice everything to the God. It is a great battle. It is up to us how we manage it. What awaits us, however, is surely worth the effort! 
Previous chapter Next chapter
|