6. Entrapment by the Ego-self

The central message of our ancient teaching, testified by innumerable sages, is this: You are not the ego-self that you think you are, and this misidentification is the root cause of all your problems. Awaken from the deep-rooted ignorance related to your identity and find liberation.

This, of course, is more easily said than done. In the first place, the vast majority of us are blissfully unaware of this teaching, and it may appear to be rather formidable. Secondly, in this modern age of reason, there is no reason why we should accept such a teaching, which cannot be established by modern science or psychology. Thirdly, even many of those who seem to have theoretical knowledge of such wisdom are not necessarily awakened.

Above all, the greatest resistance comes from one’s own ego-self, and this is something that anyone who practises self-awareness will easily understand. After all, can the ego-self be expected to allow its own annihilation without resistance?

What is the stuff that one’s ego-self is made of? One’s physical appearance, personality, possessions, achievements, affiliations, etc. — these are the things that commonly define one’s ego-self. In every society, there is a sense of power associated with these attributes, the value of that power depending on the value-system practised by that society.

The sequences of various pleasures and pains are like peaks and troughs in the waves of the ocean. The waves are numerous and endless, having varying amplitudes and frequencies. The ocean is, in fact, an archetypal image reflecting the basic problem of human existence (samsara sagara in Sanskrit), with many meanings. One such meaning relates to the delusion in identifying the self with the ocean wave, which is tossed and turned relentlessly by the tide of time. Wisdom lies in discovering the vastness, immensity and stillness in the depths of the ocean, and this enables one to deal effectively with the ego-ripples on the surface with detachment and responsibility. The ripples will always be there, but one is no longer entrapped by the belief that the ripples constitute the totality of one’s existence.