Q: How much “ego” do you need?
A: Just enough so that you don’t step in front of a bus.”
~ Shunryu Suzuki
When we fly in an airplane above the clouds, we realize that the sun is always shining even when it is cloudy and rainy below. In the same way, when we cease to hold on to our identity, our ego, we begin to see that the nonexistence of ego is a powerful, real, and indestructible state of being. We realize that, like the sun, it is a continuous situation which does not wax or wane. That state of being is called vajra nature.
– Chögyam Trungpa
from the book “The Heart of the Buddha: Entering the Tibetan Buddhist Path”
With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes
Ignorance is the binding factor in the development of ego, but it also has a subtle relationship with the basic intelligence of buddha nature. Ignorance is not solid but is based on sparks or flashes of ignorance operating on some ground. Between two sparks of ignorance is the ground of intelligence on which this process of ignorance is operating. Sometimes, ignorance forgets for a moment to maintain itself, so that the awakened state comes through. So a meditative state of mind occurs spontaneously when, occasionally, the efficiency of ego’s administration breaks down.
Freedom is the possibility of being generous. You can afford to open yourself and walk on the path easily – without defending yourself or watching yourself be self-conscious all the time. It is the absence of ego, the absence of self-consciousness. That is the ultimate freedom. The absence of self-consciousness brings generosity. You don’t have to watch for dangers or be careful that you are going too far or too slow. It is the confidence which is freedom, rather than breaking free from chains of imprisonment, exactly. Developing confidence and breaking out of psychological, internal imprisonment brings freedom naturally. In other words, it is generosity.
– Chögyam Trungpa
from the book “Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos”
ISBN: 978-0877736370 – https://amzn.to/13S49Vg
Passionlessness is what enables you to practice the Dharma and to quiet your body, speech, and mind. It is related to the development of fearlessness and egolessness. The idea of self-existence, or ego, creates tremendous self-hatred, which automatically projects out to others. In contrast, when there is kindness to oneself and others, this automatically creates a quality of workability. It creates immense space or emptiness.
– Chögyam Trungpa
The image of one’s face is seen on a mirror, but does not really exist there as a face.
In the same way, the conception of “I” exists dependent on mind and body, but like the image of a face, the “I” does not at all exist as its own reality. ―Nagarjuna
It all begins when we say, “I”. Everything that follows is illusion.
Everyone imagines that their ego is something unchangeable, some immovable center-point which everything revolves around. There once was a man who said, “Look, everyone is dying except me!”
He’s been dead for a long time now.
– Kodo Sawaki, ‘To You’
Some say, “Who do you think I am anyway?” An ordinary person, what else?
Some are proud of their wealth, others of their name and position, still others of their satori. In this way they’re just showing off how ordinary they are – people these days are so stupid!
People always have something they can’t forget. If they’re rich, they can’t forget their money. If they’re intelligent, they can’t forget their brains. If they’re talented, they always think about how good they are at this or that. But whatever it is, it always gets in the way.
It’s only because we’re so concerned about this sack of flesh that we think of ourselves as rich or beautiful or whatever. But when we die, everything is one. Nothing is yours anymore.
We’re always trying to promote our ego. The only question is: How many years can we keep it up? When we’re dead our body is just a piece of meat.
– Kodo Sawaki, ‘To You’
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