When We Let Go of Ego, We Release the Soul.

“Make your ego porous. Will is of little importance, complaining is nothing, fame is nothing. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke

I had an incident at work the other day – nothing too serious, mind you…simply a bit of a reminder in a ‘pinchy’ sort of way.

Long story short, I had settled into this view of my ‘work self’ – of ‘slightly disorganized, but mindfully diligent, spit polished and shined’ sort of perspective.

And, when someone pointed out that I wasn’t quite all of those things  – well…it left me, in a sort of unsettled mess.

My dears, we hold so tightly to this ‘view’ of ourselves…that we often, and quite inadvertently, refuse to see things any other way.

This is the ego, clinging. And, it is a oh-so, very subtle…creeping upon us in ways not ever expected.

We cling to old habits.

We cling to pleasing others.

We cling to the way things should have been.

We cling to the idea of love in a nearly loveless relationship.

We even cling to our own stubborn attitude, and the to the perfection of what we believe ‘me’ to be.

In the end, it’s our ‘self’ that gets in the way.

“If only I could have/do/change this one simple thing, then…” and, just like that…the ‘clinging’ catches ego, once again.

Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel Peace”. Whereas, Spirit says, “find your Peace, and then everything will fall into place”.

Can you now see that subtle difference? The critical distinction between self and spirit?

The great fourteenth-century Tibetan teacher, Longchenpa once lectured on the importance of mindful attention; specifically, not allowing our minds to get so very caught up in the meaningless details that we miss that which matters most of all. This useless occupation of our focus can carry on for many moments, weeks, and even years. It’s the time wasted, trapped in the stories we tell – and disconnected from the magnificent beauty of this life we all share.

“Yes, but…” you may offer.

My dears, it’s this sort of thinking that goes on and on and on…leaving a day lost to worries that have yet to manifest.

You see, it’s so very easy to get caught up in our image of self…that we nearly miss out on the better part of living.

“Yes, if only…”

“If I could just be…”

“You just don’t understand…”

My dears, these are the words of a clinging hand…and when you let go of ego, you can release the soul.

So, the only question left to be asked is… what’s keeping you from letting go?