Chapter 16

Dissolving the Ego:

Ego Serves No Purpose

Our ego is a collection of experiences from the past and our future expectations of ourselves. Ego is the accumulation of thoughts, ideas, and perceptions that we have of our self image and self identity. The ego will contain arrogance, pride, judgment, and measure and compare itself as superior or inferior to others. Dissolving the ego can be one of the hardest and most difficult aspects in the pursuit of Enlightenment. So, it's best to start learning to dissolve the ego early in your practice while ensuring to deeply explore this topic with the guidance of a Teacher. Through our past experiences and the future expectations we have of ourselves, we acquire a personal image of who we think we are but it’s a delusion and our ego serves no purpose. The elimination of the ego is required to attain Enlightenment. All our intentions, speech, and actions can be born out of our ego. We protect our ego at all costs. It is often one of the strongest attachments we have and is why it is one of the last things to go and easy to pick back up. Oftentimes we judge others through our ego. We reflect those unwholesome qualities that exist inside of us onto others thinking it is the other person who has these unwholesome qualities when, in fact, it’s actually our ego looking at itself. We think someone is trying to be SO smart and show everyone how intelligent they are when, in fact, it is us who are the ones with this behavior. We sometimes look at others with jealousy because they are trying to look so important or beautiful. When, in fact, it is us who is desiring and craving this attention. We often look at others as having ego, when it is us who has the ego. Do you see a theme? What we think and judge of others is what’s inside of us. We see others and it is like viewing a mirror. We see certain qualities in others because those are

the most present qualities within our own mind, so we project it to others and think it’s coming from them. We project the ego onto others and read the reflection as if it’s coming from the other person when, in fact, it is us. This is one reason you should not judge another being but focus only on your own practice and development of the mind. Do not be concerned with another person’s “life practice” or how well you think they are or are not practicing these Teachings. Judgment serves you no purpose and only harms your own mind. You should only be encouraging, helpful, and polite with loving-kindness and compassion for all beings. Judgment: attempting to determine what is right or wrong for another person while placing oneself above others with arrogance or pride (i.e. the ego). Comparing that one is superior or inferior to another person. Attempting to declare who is wholesome or unwholesome, good or bad. Judgment is based in “conceit”. Judgment is harmful to the mind and needs to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. Instead of judging others, you would like to practice discernment. Discernment: is wise decision making based in wisdom. Discernment is helpful to the mind and needs to be cultivated to attain Enlightenment. During Gotama Buddha’s lifetime, the word “ego” was not available for use. The word ego did not come into use until recent times. Gotama Buddha referred to two different aspects of the mind that we now refer to as “the ego”. The Ten Fetters taught by Gotama Buddha refer to “personal existence view” and “conceit” as what we refer to as “the ego”. These two (2) fetters/taints/ pollutions of mind need to be eliminated and completely dissolved to eradicate the ego on The Path to Enlightenment. Personal existence view: Eliminating the concept of a permanent self from the mind. Realization of non-self.

Conceit: Elimination of arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or comparing

as superior or inferior to others. Ego completely dissolved. The Ten Fetters are the ten (10) individual aspects of the mind that need to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. The word “fetter” is defined as: “a chain or shackle used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles”. The Ten Fetters are essentially keeping a being trapped in The Cycle of Rebirth bound to the endless cycle of continuous rebirth experiencing discontentedness over countless lifetimes.

It is not until one eliminates The Ten Fetters that a being’s mind is liberated from discontentedness and The Cycle of Rebirth. A fetter can also be referred to as a taint or pollution of the mind. A taint is an impure quality of the mind and is why these need to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. The Ten Fetters pollute the mind not allowing us to experience the brightness and radiance of the Enlightened mind. Personal existence view and conceit both need to be eliminated from the mind to allow the Practitioner to reside peaceful and calm. As long as the mind retains a personal existence view and conceit, it will continue to struggle through personal and professional relationships finding difficulties in your interactions with others. Two of the most challenging fetters for one to eliminate can often be “personal existence view” and “conceit”. This chapter is devoted to sharing Teachings to help you better understand both of these fetters and how to eliminate them, but always keep in mind, seeking guidance with a Teacher is something that each Practitioner is going to need as they choose to learn and practice these Teachings. One would be unable to only read a book or take in content through some other resource, to eliminate the personal existence view or conceit to attain Enlightenment. Guidance is going to be required to deeply understand each aspect of The Path to Enlightenment and understand how to improve the condition of the mind to attain Enlightenment. This is true about all The Teachings of Gotama Buddha and especially true as it comes to understanding and eliminating personal existence view and conceit.

Understanding personal existence view oftentimes takes several

conversations along with multiple resources for the average Practitioner to understand. Then, they will need specific Teachings of how to eliminate “personal existence view” from the mind with guidance from someone who has accomplished this goal. To eliminate personal existence view, a Practitioner will need to understand The Universal Truth of Non-self as shared in the chapter titled “The Four Noble Truths: Establishing Right View” (Chapter 4) and in this chapter. It is suggested that you read that as a refresher then come back to this chapter to continue your learning while seeking guidance from a Teacher.

What is Self Image and Self Identity?

To understand personal existence view and how the unEnlightened mind

holds onto the concept of a permanent self not understanding The Universal Truth of Non-self, it is important to explore what a self image and self identity are, as these will need to be eliminated to realize The Universal Truth of Non- self. Self image: The mind wants to project a certain physical appearance and be perceived a certain way based on its outward projection of its desired image. The mind accumulates certain external objects to assemble an outward appearance it wants to project into the world for favorable treatment by others.

Jewelry, makeup, clothing, and other material possessions are acquired in

order to project to others how the mind wants to be perceived in the world. The mind would like to be perceived as successful, wealthy, intelligent, beautiful, important, or other qualities it finds desirable, and looks for favorable treatment by others based on physical objects that form a self image the mind attempts to hold on to permanently. This is due to the mind's lack of inner contentedness thinking that if others perceive you in a certain way, then it will create lasting inner fulfillment but instead, the mind is merely chasing pleasant feelings (i.e, happiness, excitement, elation) based on impermanent conditions. The pleasant feelings will eventually fade, as they are based on impermanent conditions, and the mind will be back where it started from, no longer experiencing pleasant feelings continuing to seek or long for something with a strong eagerness to create what it thinks will be lasting inner fulfillment. The mind is stuck in a cycle of constantly looking for the next “thing” that it can acquire to project its desired self image to the world longing with a strong eagerness for pleasant feelings that are never permanent because there is no permanent self image due to there being “no self”. As long as the mind holds on wanting to project a self image due to the fetter/taint/pollution of personal existence view, it will never find permanent peace because it is attempting to base its inner fulfillment on impermanent conditions. Once the conditions that created the pleasant feelings change, the mind can no longer sustain the pleasant feelings because they were based on impermanent conditions, and the mind continues to seek and long with a strong eagerness for the next “thing” to acquire to regain the pleasant feelings.

But, because the unEnlightened mind does not understand that

impermanent conditions will never create permanent contentedness, having ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and it does not understand there is “no self”, it just continues the cycle of wandering and roaming for the next object of its affection never acquiring permanent contentedness until the mind eliminates the fetter/taint/pollution of personal existence view no longer craving to project a certain self image into the world realizing The Universal Truth of Non-self. Self identity: The mind wants to project a certain identity and be perceived a certain way based on those attributes or mental qualities. The mind holds on to specific attributes of the personality or life circumstances identifying with those as being who you are as a person. For example, “I am a Teacher”. “I am a Doctor”. “I am a Mother/Father”. “I am a wife/husband/life partner/girlfriend/boyfriend”. “I am a citizen of the United States of America”. “I am a Christian/Hindu/Muslim/Buddhist etc.”. “I am a business owner”. “I am wealthy”. “I am kind”. “I am friendly”. “I am a responsible adult”. “I am a hard worker”. The mind has countless labels that it attempts to identify with and fulfill in order to adopt and then project a certain self identity into the world. The mind holds on to these attributes as a self identity seeking pleasant feelings from these impermanent conditions. But because these labels of the self identity are impermanent, when they no longer exist the mind experiences painful feelings (sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, etc.). Not only does the mind hold on to a specific life partner, but it also holds on to the identity of being a wife/husband/life partner/girlfriend/boyfriend and then feels less of a person when the mind can no longer identify with a certain label. Not only does the mind hold on to the life circumstances of being a Doctor or the occupation of being a Doctor, but it holds on to the projected self identification of being a Doctor as the mind wants to be perceived in the world in a certain way. When the mind can no longer identify with this impermanent label to create pleasant feelings, it then experiences painful feelings. It is not until the mind lets go of holding on to the self identity attempting to form pleasant feelings internally based on impermanent conditions of a self identity that it can reside permanently peaceful and content. If the mind continues to long for and hold on to impermanent conditions of a self identity, it will experience painful feelings as the conditions that created the pleasant feelings are not permanent. It is not until the mind realizes The

Universal Truth of Non-self and stops attempting to satisfy the mind based on impermanent conditions for a self identity, understanding there is “no self” that it will find inner contentedness. The mind needs to understand and realize The Universal Truth of Non-self to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of personal existence view to eliminate the mind’s longing with a strong eagerness to project a self image and self identity into the world for pleasant feelings otherwise, it is welcoming painful feelings or feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant at some point never experiencing peacefulness, calmness, serenity, and contentedness with joy that is permanent.

Understanding The Universal Truth of Non-Self and The Fetter of

Personal Existence View

The Universal Truth of Non-self will help a Practitioner to understand that there is no “you”, “me”, or “I” to facilitate eliminating the fetter of personal existence view. We use the pronouns “you”, “me”, “I” and names given to us during our life, but these are unfitting to truly explain what we are experiencing in this human existence. There is essentially a physical body and a mind that have come together for this existence, but neither of these are “you” or “who you are”. The challenge that human beings face is that we grow up with a name, typically given at birth, that the mind starts to associate a certain self image or self identity with the given name. We start to adopt the thinking and false belief that we are this name, forming self image and self identity around the given name. We oftentimes associate the physical body and/or the mind as being “the self” or “who you are”. But anything that the body or mind experiences is not “you”. Take a finger and point to “you”. Where are “you”? Can you point to “you”? What are you pointing to now, the body or the mind? That’s not “you”. Where are “you”? If the body and mind are both impermanent, how could either the body or the mind be a permanent self or “you”? In reality, what exists is essentially bones, tissue, and fluids inside a big bag made of skin. There is a consciousness, or mind, that has come together with the physical body to form “a being”. A name was given to us at birth as a label to make it easy for people to refer to us and for us, to attend to our daily activities. Family and friends could not say: “Has that big bag of bones,

tissue, and fluid come home yet?”. Instead, we need a name to make it easy for people to know who we are referring to in our conversations. But the challenge develops when the given name becomes adopted in the mind as “who we are”, and the mind forms self image and self identity around the name, the label, given during our life. Human beings form a concept of a permanent self in the mind referred to as a “personal existence view”. The unEnlightened mind thinks and falsely believes there is an actual permanent self when in reality, this does not exist. The misunderstanding of a permanent self is comprised of such things as the self image, self identity, expectations we have of ourself, and expectations others have of us. The unEnlightened mind will falsely identify with the body and/or the mind as being “the self”, thus, having a “personal existence view”. But, this is part of the mind’s ignorance (unknowing of true reality), delusion, or confusion. The self does not actually exist, but the unEnlightened mind has the thinking, misperception, or false belief that there is a self. As long as the mind continues to hold on to what it thinks is a self, described as “personal existence view” in these Teachings, it will not be liberated from discontentedness to experience Enlightenment. Because the mind is holding on to its self image and self identity thinking that is “who you are”, when it hears something agreeable or disagreeable about its self image or self identity, the mind will become discontent. When the mind hears agreeable and pleasing compliments about the self image or self identity, it will experience happiness, excitement, or elation as pleasant feelings will often invade the mind. Then, when the mind hears disagreeable and displeasing remarks about the self image or self identity, it will experience sadness, anger, or frustration as painful feelings will often invade the mind. Due to the personal existence view, the misperception or false belief of a permanent self, the mind cannot reside in the middle with calmness as it experiences pleasant feelings associated with agreeable compliments and painful feelings upon experiencing the disagreeable remarks. With the mind holding on thinking there is a permanent self, it cannot reside peaceful and calm as it will be looking out for the next agreeable or disagreeable comment, needing to protect itself from its perceived external enemies and/ or anticipation or seeking out of agreeable compliments to produce pleasant feelings.

The mind will look to protect itself from disagreeable remarks, not wanting to experience painful feelings. The mind can be constantly on guard with strategies of self protection resulting in unwholesome intentions, speech, and actions. The mind will oftentimes become fearful of even the smallest little situations as it holds on to its personal existence view, being afraid to not only hear disagreeable comments, but also fear death or any small experience that the mind perceives as potentially causing harm to the physical body or mind. The unEnlightened mind does not realize that there is only a physical body and a mind that have come together for this existence but, in fact, there is no permanent everlasting self. There is nothing permanent that currently exists related to “a self", so there is no need to be constantly on edge to protect against the potential of painful feelings, or be ready and willing to allow the mind to experience great happiness (i.e. pleasant feelings) when one receives pleasing compliments. Basing one’s internal feelings on impermanent conditions would only invite discontentedness into the mind. Due to the mind holding on to a self image and self identity, a Practitioner may feel that they cannot associate with certain people or types of people as it would impact “who they are” diminishing one’s reputation. Rather than the mind being comfortable to reside with all beings peacefully and in harmony, the mind judges others of who they feel they can and cannot associate with based on superficial attributes, unable to practice loving-kindness and compassion for all beings. The personal existence view causes a dilemma for the mind in that it needs to constantly evaluate itself and others to determine if it feels comfortable in any given situation, unable to be at rest to reside peacefully. The mind can experience anxiety and fear as it perceives what is happening around it as diminishing or infringing on its self image or self identity. Destructive protective habits are produced and one finds they are continually discontent in seemingly innocent situations. The mind can perceive harm to “the self” in the most simple of circumstances believing that impending doom is headed your way. The mind’s confusion accumulates due to the misunderstanding that there is a self and oftentimes reacts out of self protection rather than through wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline as taught in The Eight Fold Path. The personal existence view needs to be eliminated to realize non-self in order to eradicate the problems associated with holding on to a permanent self in the mind allowing it to reside more peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy, no matter what is or is not happening. Eliminating the

personal existence view will allow the mind to reside comfortably and in harmony with others, no longer plotting methods of self protection developing unwholesome habits, but instead the mind will look for ways to be more open and loving with all beings.

Techniques to Realize Non-Self

Eliminating and eradicating the fetter of personal existence view will allow the mind to peacefully and calmly exist without the constant need to protect and defend “the self”. The mind can reside being generous, loving, kind, and compassionate to all beings rather than pursuing selfish desires and strategies of self protection. The mind can let go of impolite, unkind, unfriendly, and disrespectful interactions with others because it will understand that the harmful words of others only affect them not “you”, because there is no “you”. A mind without a personal existence view can be open and loving to all beings because it is not judging others based on its own self image and self identity, only choosing to associate with people who it feels are worthy of your friendship. The mind will discover ways to develop lasting relationships with all beings. Through eliminating the personal existence view, a mind will not experience fear because it is not holding on to the physical body or mind thinking that any minor situation would cause permanent harm. If there is still the concept of a permanent self, you will defend it, guard against it, and react with emotion based on the need to protect the self rather than respond calmly, peacefully, and with a concentrated mind. There is also the tendency to place the “self” above or below other beings with judgment, arrogance, and pride known as conceit. Once the concept of a permanent self, which is part of the ego, has been fully dissolved and you realize “non-self”, you will no longer feel a need to mentally defend or protect the self because you will know it does not exist and, thus, will be able to attain and maintain a content mind no matter what is said about you by another person. The mind will not react negatively to others’ intentions, speech, nor actions. The mind will not experience any arising of anger or frustration even when someone is being impolite and disrespectful. There is nothing to mentally defend or guard against because you no longer have a concept of a permanent self in the mind, and it can see true reality which is just that someone is being impolite and disrespectful rather than absorbing this as an assault against your self image or self identity.

To attain even the first Stage of Enlightenment, one needs to fully understand and realize non-self. It is typically through much learning, practice, and guidance with the help of Teachers that one will fully understand and realize non-self. The Teaching on non-self is usually a Teaching approached later in practice as a Practitioner has already established a solid foundation of many other Teachings and one nears closer to the first Stage of Enlightenment having already experienced the Jhānas. If you understand impermanence and that there is no condition that is permanent, then realizing non-self can be reflected upon in this way. Is the body yours? Does it belong to you? Will you be able to keep it forever? No. Is the mind yours? Does it belong to you? Will you be able to keep it forever? No. So, what are we? We are nothing. There is no permanent self that one can identify. There is no “you”, but we still use this pronoun since there is nothing else fitting in the English language to refer to “nothing”.

Understanding “non-self” conceptually is one step of realizing non-self to

eliminate the fetter of personal existence view. Then, it is important to put this Teaching into practice through daily life and a life practice, to include a specialized meditation technique - if needed. This Teaching is typically explored later in the process of attaining Enlightenment and should not be focused on until there is already a well-established practice of many of the other Teachings and with the guidance of Teachers. The mind will not be willing to let go of its personal existence view until it is well trained through the core Teachings found in The Eight Fold Path and a Practitioner is starting to experience the Jhānas. In addition to specialized meditation techniques to help the mind understand that there is no self, a Practitioner can choose to change the way the mind thinks of its relationship to material objects, people, and various parts of life. To train the mind to let go and reside more peacefully, a Practitioner can modify the language they use in reference to material objects, people, and various parts of life to help eliminate the way the mind thinks and believes that a permanent self exists. When there is a self, the mind can become very

selfish, self centered, and self absorbed. The mind can attempt to control others wanting things to be done in a certain way that is pleasing to the self. Changing the language one uses in everyday life can then influence change in the mind. Rather than saying, and thus thinking, this is “my phone” a Practitioner might refer to it as “the phone”. Instead of “my car” it can become “the car”. Instead of “my clothes” it can become “the clothes”. Instead of “my house” it can become “the house”. Instead of “my job” it can become “the place I work”. Instead of “my hair” it can become “the hair”. Instead of “I am hungry” it can become “the body is hungry”. Instead of “I have a headache” it can become “the head is feeling pain”. These examples and others that you become aware of can be modified to remove the “my” or “me” from your language and how you interact in the world and how the mind wants to hold on tightly.

Essentially, the mind starts to disassociate with material objects,

relationships, and various parts of life as being “mine”. Because if the mind deeply understands that there is no “you”, then how could anything be “yours” and belong to “you”? Through training the mind by using different language, it can start to distance itself from thinking there is a permanent self and instead see true reality that nothing actually belongs to you. Therefore, the mind can easily “let go” of the personal existence view, experiencing peacefulness rather than being selfish or feeling that something harmful is being done “to you”. As long as the mind thinks and falsely believes that material objects, relationships, and other aspects of life belong to “you”, then it will define itself through these and become highly discontent when things are not happening the way the mind wants or desires. Whenever the mind is aware of pleasant feelings, painful feelings, or feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant starting to arise associated with self image or self identity, a Practitioner needs to apply Right Effort to cut them

off and let them go. Otherwise, allowing the mind to experience feelings associated with “the self” will only continue to reinforce its misunderstanding that there is a permanent self, inhibiting it from realizing non-self. When any and all pleasant feelings, painful feelings, or feelings that are neither painful- nor-pleasant are experienced, a Practitioner should cut them off and let them go. When there is no longer a self, the mind will not want to or feel a need to defend itself when hearing negative or disparaging remarks about its self image or self identity, and the mind will not experience any painful feelings associated with disrespectful comments. And, when there is no self, the mind will not experience happiness, excitement, or elation when it hears a positive compliment about its self image or self identity. The mind will reside unaffected, uninfluenced, and unshakable through hearing positive or negative comments about “the self” as the personal existence view, or the self, will have been eliminated. The mind will no longer have a misperception or false belief that there is a permanent self, therefore, it will reside unaffected by any comments related to the self image or self identity. Detailed discussion and consultation with a Teacher is required to more fully understand The Universal Truth of Non-self and to implement practices to eliminate the fetter of personal existence view. Because a mind with personal existence view has the false belief that the body and/or the mind is the self, or the permanent self, then anything a Practitioner can do to eliminate this confusion will help the mind see more clearly. Suggested approaches that a Practitioner can employ include the following: - Receive guidance in how to use the “Meditation to Realize Non-Self” in the chapter titled “Meditation: Developing Your Practice” (Chapter 11). - Change language used to disassociate the mind with the word “my” in connection to relationships, objects, or various life situations. - Develop the perception of impermanence deeply observing in the world that there is no object that is permanent. Soak into the mind that there is no object, situation, or circumstance that is permanent through observing the truth through experiences in the world. - Wear simple clothing and make your appearance simple as desiring physical beauty is cultivating your “personal existence view” and could be projecting arrogance or pride. - Refrain from wearing any jewelry or body decorations including make up, and eliminate bodily scents such as perfumes and cologne. (This helps to establish in the mind there is no desire to project a self image or self

identity. It trains the mind to practice non-attachment to the body’s image or identity. The mind can be trained to reside unaffected by others’ views of the image of the body and others’ opinions will have no effect on the contentedness of the mind helping to eliminate personal existence view.) - Remove head and facial hair, eliminate the craving to beautify the body. - Eliminate your interest to project a personal image through “cutting off” and “letting go” of any feelings or interest in the mind to mentally project or protect the self image or self identity. - Consult and seek guidance with a Teacher over multiple sessions to deeply understand The Universal Truth of Non-self to receive instruction on how to eliminate personal existence view from the mind. It is important that we distinguish the difference between non-self and a soul. Gotama Buddha taught that there is no permanent self as part of his Teaching on The Universal Truth of Non-self, but he left The Teaching about a soul as undeclared. See the “Simile of a Man Were Wounded by an Arrow

Thickly Smeared with Poison” to understand Gotama Buddha did not

declare a Teaching concerning a soul and left this as undeclared. This simile is located at the end of the chapter titled “Transforming The Three Poisons: Craving, Anger, and Ignorance” (Chapter 8).

Understanding The Fetter of Conceit

Conceit is the attributes of arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or

comparing as superior or inferior that pollute the mind. This causes the mind to produce intentions, speech, and actions that only backfire as others find conduct originating in conceit as displeasing, tasteless, and inappropriate. A person who projects arrogance and pride is most often rejected in personal and professional relationships as one attempts to place themselves above others to feel superior. This behavior originates in our countless existences in the animal realm as there is oftentimes a clear “pecking order” within a given herd or pack of animals which is needed for survival. But, in the human realm this non-virtuous behavior is not needed and not appreciated as being acceptable among human beings who are interested in practicing fairness and equality while having loving-kindness and compassion for all beings. A person who puts themselves below others feeling inferior is often viewed as weak and incapable of being trusted or other virtuous qualities. An individual who puts themselves below others can oftentimes look up to other beings with a mind that is shaken, unsteady, and uncalm fearing potential harm from others, unable to reside relaxed and peaceful with a concentrated mind. This inhibits a person from gaining opportunities to apply their

intelligence and skills to beneficial projects that would help improve one’s life. Judging others only puts a wall between you and others as the mind is unable to practice generosity, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity with all beings in all situations. Judging others only harms you as you will drive away those who are disinterested in comments, remarks, and discussions where an individual is placing themselves in a position of judging others. Due to the pollution of conceit that is part of the ego, a being constantly struggles to find its place in the world because it needs to continuously search whether it is above or below others, causing a burden to the mind. The mind functions much like an animal being uncomfortable unless it knows exactly where it is in the “pecking order” of the herd or pack of like species.

Acting upon any feelings of conceit, the accumulated arrogance, pride,

judging, and measuring one’s self as superior or inferior to others only inhibits one from experiencing the fullness of life where they can benefit from all relationships and opportunities. Instead of fruitful outcomes, a person with conceit would be limited to only a handful of relationships that will tolerate their constant need for superiority or their lack of confidence in feeling inferior. Conceit inhibits one from being a true member of a team and instead is looking for how to gain all the glory and attention to create pleasant feelings in the deluded mind. Team members become disinterested in associating with someone who is incapable of sharing in the success of the entire team as a team player but instead, appears to only be out for attaining their own selfish satisfaction. When we think that we are “right” and everyone else is “wrong”, conceit and arrogance (i.e. aspects of the ego) is firmly rooted in the mind. A being with conceit will struggle to find opportunities to improve its life and struggle to find individuals willing to participate in life activities that can be rewarding and fulfilling. The fetter of conceit will motivate impolite, unkind, unfriendly, and disrespectful intentions, speech, and actions that only serve to drive people and opportunities away from you rather than bring people towards you to assist in producing beneficial outcomes for all individuals involved. Conceit held in the mind can lead to fights, arguments, hostility, murder, and even global conflict or war. Countless lives have been ruined and wasted

through decisions based in conceit that have lasting and long term consequences unforeseen by a person who is blinded by the cloud of ego, unknowing of true reality, and unaware of these Teachings to liberate the mind from its daily struggles and difficulties. A wise Practitioner will apply energy and effort through a dedicated life practice to eliminate any and all conceit from the mind, thus, realizing the benefits of being able to peacefully reside in harmony with all beings. Eliminating conceit from the mind will result in beneficial outcomes for you as the mind becomes more comfortable to reside in personal and professional relationships without a need to be superior or inferior. Instead, the mind will look for ways that everyone can “win” rather than looking for the selfish satisfaction and the desire to project its own arrogance and pride.

Techniques to Eliminate Conceit

Anytime a Practitioner observes arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or

comparing as superior or inferior arising in the mind, they need to practice Right Effort taking active steps to eliminate these unwholesome qualities and arise wholesome qualities. There is no benefit to arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or comparing as superior or inferior arising in the mind, so when it is observed, one needs to cut it off and let it go. Allowing even the smallest amount of conceit to trickle into your conversations, discussions, or relationships will have devastating effects that result in harmful outcomes (i.e. unwholesome Kamma). The more readily a Practitioner becomes aware of the arising conceit, they can take active steps to eliminate it from the mind. Cutting this back further and further through catching it earlier and earlier, the mind can eventually eliminate conceit from ever arising. But, a Practitioner will need to understand what conceit is so that as the mind is aware of its arising, it can be cut off and eliminated from the mind. A wise Practitioner can also take proactive steps towards the elimination of conceit through initiating various practices into their daily life. For someone who is unfamiliar with Buddhist Teachings or Buddhist culture, these practices may seem quite foreign and a challenge to understand. You should seek guidance to understand any practices that are not fully understood as to why these are helpful to eliminate conceit and how to implement these into your daily life.

There are several practices that could help you to eliminate conceit. I offer the following as potential examples of how to eliminate conceit. - Say “thank you”, “sorry”, speak politely using “sir, ma’am, or other respectful pronouns” and say “I do not know” as needed and as appropriate. - Sleep in a low position that is not elevated or luxurious and sit on the floor. - Do tasks that you feel are “beneath” you. - Listen to others teach you wisdom without any interest to teach them. - Wash people’s feet. People you have no association with, if possible. - Show respect and gratitude to all people with a “wai” as done in Thai culture. - Show generosity, loving-kindness, and compassion to all beings, especially people you find challenging to be friendly towards. - Eliminate judgment of others with no comparisons that you are superior or inferior to others. - Be kind and gentle because it’s the “right” thing to do. - Ask others for advice and what they learned in life, just listen without trying to prove anything. - Help others without any expectation of a return favor or positive benefit for yourself. - Seek guidance of a Teacher helping the mind to admit to itself that it does not know everything and needs help in this world. - Eliminate your interest to project arrogance, pride, judgment, measuring or comparing as superior or inferior through “cutting off” and “letting go” of any feelings or interest in the mind that resembles these unwholesome qualities. - Consult and seek guidance with a Teacher over multiple sessions to deeply understand the fetter of conceit to receive instruction on how to eliminate conceit from the mind.

Never Assume The Ego Has Been Eliminated

We must always and forever develop our practice to “eliminate ego” and never “assume” it has been extinguished. The ego will always attempt to get you to think it has been eliminated as it is like a bad tenant that never pays rent and does not want to leave. The moment the mind convinces you that the ego has been eliminated is a moment that you know that ego still exists. Instead, never assume the ego has been eliminated, and constantly work towards being humble and down to earth in any and all situations.

A Practitioner who learns and practices these Teachings from Gotama

Buddha will develop profound wisdom. It is especially important for one who

has deep wisdom to always practice being humble. A truly wise individual is wise enough to know to always practice being humble and has no need to project arrogance, pride, judge others, or otherwise allow conceit into the mind or into their daily interactions. There is no benefit in projecting self image, self identity, arrogance, pride, judging others, measuring and comparing one’s self as being superior or inferior to others. You will find that your personal and professional relationships will blossom when personal existence view and conceit is eliminated. Through eliminating the fetters of personal existence view and conceit, the mind can reside peaceful and calm no matter what is or is not happening around you. The ego props us up and protects “who we think we are” and “our self image”. It is very difficult for one to see their own ego. There is no need to mentally protect yourself from anyone when there is “no self”. A peaceful, calm, serene, and content mind with joy that does no harm, only needs to walk with “wisdom and a smile”. A wise person only needs to walk with wisdom and a smile. They have no desire to project a self image, self identity, arrogance, pride, judge others, or measure and compare themselves as superior or inferior. A wise person knows there is no benefit in doing so, therefore, they only need to walk with wisdom and a smile. The ego is held deeply inside the mind and blocks us from realizing our full potential because we “think” we already know who we are and what we should be doing in the future. It blocks us from healthy relationships and connecting to other beings with a pure mind and pure intentions. The ego can block us from learning and growing with wisdom shared by other beings because we think we already “know it all”. Dissolving the ego is easier said than done. Because we have spent a lifetime acquiring the ego and many countless hours thinking about what we want to do in the future, it is very hard to let go of the ego. There is self image and self identity along with many other attributes that comprise the ego, and if we hold on to the ego, we will create discontentedness for ourself, never being able to fully experience the Enlightened mind.

To reach Enlightenment, the ego must be dissolved, dismantled, and

eradicated. The ego serves no purpose.

Gotama Buddha explains just how dreadful, bitter, vile, and obstructive it is to allow ourselves to dwell in praise, pride, and ego in the following Teaching.

Progress Towards Eliminating The Ego

You will know the ego is starting to diminish when the mind is no longer interested in taking credit for the wholesome deeds you participate in, but instead, is more interested in seeing wholesome things happen for all beings. The mind will not be affected by praise nor disrespect. If someone tells you that you have ego and the mind experiences painful feelings, such as, sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, etc., then the mind still has ego. Comparing yourself to others will be entirely eliminated and there will be no interest in judging others (looking down on others) for any reason. A

Practitioner will choose to cultivate and practice wholesome intentions,

speech, and actions because it is the “right” thing to do, not because one is looking for a reward or acknowledgment of their wholesome ways. Gain, Honor, and Praise, Are an Obstacle Even For an Arahant Monks, gain, honor, and praise, I say, are an obstacle even for a Monk who is an Arahant, one with taints destroyed. When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda asked the Master Teacher Gotama: ‘Why, Venerable Sir, are gain, honor, and praise an obstacle even for a Monk with taints destroyed?’ I do not say, Ānanda, that gain, honor, and praise are an obstacle to his unshakable liberation of mind. But I say they are an obstacle to (his attainment of) those peaceful dwellings in this very life which are achieved by one who resides diligent, dedicated, and determined. So dreadful, Ānanda, are gain, honor, and praise so bitter, vile, obstructive to achieving the unsurpassed security from bondage (Enlightenment). Therefore, Ānanda, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will abandon the arisen gain, honor, praise, and we will not let the arisen gain, honor, and praise persist obsessing our mind.’ Thus should you train yourselves. (Gotama Buddha) (Reference: SN 17.30)

An individual without ego will be able to be polite, kind, friendly, and respectful to any and all beings with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity regardless of that person’s intentions, speech, or actions. There will be no conditions that are required of you to practice these good wholesome Teachings, and there are no conditions that would prevent you from practicing these good wholesome Teachings. A wise Practitioner will never conclude their ego has been eliminated and instead always be watchful to never allow the ego to remain in the mind rooting it out whenever it raises its ugly head.

Teaching Through Ego

Gotama Buddha reached Enlightenment during his six (6) years of training the mind then had a lifelong practice of maintaining the mind. He knew, for himself, that he attained Enlightenment as a completely liberated mind is very noticeable to the person who has attained it. While he knew he had all the answers, others around him taught their teachings which did not lead to Enlightenment. Gotama Buddha’s Students attained Enlightenment and they knew the truth. There were still plenty of people during his lifetime who did not learn and practice Gotama Buddha’s Teachings. There is a reason Gotama Buddha only ever taught Students that chose to learn with him. He did not go out in search of Students. He allowed them to come find him. It is important not to “crave” Students as the mind will shutdown and lose tranquility. Craving is the problem; non-clinging, non-attachment, non- craving, and Enlightenment is the solution. With craving, there is no Enlightenment even if the mind is craving more Students. A Student needs to seek out the help of a Teacher for guidance. This act alone helps to reduce ego for a Practitioner. The Student needs to open the front door and welcome The Teachings into the mind with trust and respect. Without the Student opening the door, the Teacher cannot breathe healthy life into the mind, thus, the Student will not have The Teachings to make improvements. It is only a Student who lowers the ego, seeks out a Teacher, and seeks guidance through questions that will allow The Teachings to penetrate the mind, then ultimately improve their life practice on The Path to Enlightenment.

The Student needs to do the hard work of transforming the unwholesome mind into a wholesome and pure mind. A Teacher cannot create Enlightenment for their Students. A Teacher cannot “give” their Students Enlightenment. It is only through diligent study, practice, and commitment to learning and practicing The Teachings that a Student can actively work towards Enlightenment. A Student will need to have gratitude, appreciation, and respect for The Teachings and their Teacher. A Teacher can teach, inspire, encourage, and offer guidance but it is the Student that must decide Enlightenment is an important pursuit for their life and commit to their own growth. The Student needs to seek out Teachers who can assist them on their path to Enlightenment. A Teacher cannot seek out Students as unEnlightened beings will be so attached to their current Teachers and their current practice while perhaps having ego. A Teacher who seeks out Students will always meet a brick wall. A Teacher who knows they have The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment can do little to nothing to “convince” a Student to study or practice. The interest to study and pursue Enlightenment must be initiated by the Student.

A Student will need to reach out to Teachers for guidance learning how to establish a healthy relationship built on a foundation of kindness, politeness, gratitude, and respect in all directions. Only a Buddha would be able to attain Enlightenment without the assistance of Teachers. While all other

Practitioners are able to experience Enlightenment, they would need the

guidance of Teachers and a well developed practice of these Teachings.

Students should seek guidance through asking questions to gain

understanding while developing an honest and respectful relationship with their Teachers.

Teachers should only provide guidance to Students when they request

guidance through asking questions and/or designating one as their Teacher.

Seek Teachers without craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true

reality) who have eliminated the ego and who have realized non-self. These are the people who have attained Enlightenment and will be the best Teachers to guide you. It would be very difficult for a Teacher to guide others towards Enlightenment if they have not yet attained Enlightenment.

As one progresses in learning and practicing these Teachings, there will be deep wisdom that is acquired. Sometimes the simplest and most apparent truth that you see in a situation can be applauded as profound wisdom by those who are not on The Path to Enlightenment because they are unaware of the truth and wisdom within these Teachings. Compliments and words of admiration from others can often invade the mind producing even more excessive amounts of conceit - if the Practitioner allows the praise to obsess the mind. While it is beneficial for your life to learn and practice these Teachings, it is important to always remain humble. Whether it be with friends, parents, family, or other associates and Teachers, you need to understand that projecting arrogance or pride as it relates to your life practice and progress on this path would only inhibit your own further progress while dissuading others from exploring Gotama Buddha’s Teachings. It is possible for a Practitioner to view the beneficial and constantly improving focus, concentration, deep memory, and clarity of mind as qualities to take pride in while looking down on others who are lacking concentration or otherwise experience a muddled mind with discontentedness. In some cases, a Practitioner can even start to feel so superior based on their wisdom of these Teachings rather than staying humble to continue their learning and progress on The Path to Enlightenment, arrogance, pride, and ego can take over even pushing away those who helped them to acquire a foundation and deep practice of these Teachings. Gotama Buddha himself spoke of Students who would eventually reject him and his Teachings perhaps even attempt to steal what he taught as being their own Teachings.

Students can sometimes become unfriendly and disrespectful to the very

person who guided them to realize benefits on The Path to Enlightenment. It is extremely dangerous for a Student to allow arrogance or pride to invade their mind thinking they are more superior than their own Teacher. It is the Teacher who helped them get established and make significant progress on The Path to Enlightenment, so choosing to have arrogance or pride in a relationship with your Teacher would not produce a beneficial outcome for you to continue to progress towards Enlightenment.

Gratitude, appreciation, and respect along with humbleness are foundational

aspects of a mind that will ultimately become Enlightened. If a Student remains with gratitude, appreciation, respect, and humbleness towards their

Teachers, they can continue to develop their mind experiencing complete

liberation. But, one who decides to reject their Teacher’s kindness out of their own arising conceit, will continue to struggle through their own arrogance and pride lacking the ability to come close to senior members of The Community who can provide guidance to eliminate the ego to ultimately attain Enlightenment. These Teachings are based in over 2,500 years of generational sharing based purely in generosity, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. A sincere and devoted Teacher is not choosing to share these Teachings for any selfish benefits as their goal should only be to help others. A Practitioner would need to approach these Teachings, and thus, the senior members of The Community including Teachers with gratitude, appreciation, and the qualities of generosity, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. While a Student can oftentimes struggle to eliminate the ego, just through seeking guidance from a Teacher is helpful in eliminating arrogance, the ego, from the mind. Seeking guidance would require a Student to develop a healthy relationship based in gratitude, appreciation, and respect. It is important for a Student to always be respectful towards Teachers as without their wisdom, they would be unable to progress on The Path to Enlightenment.

Likewise, a Teacher needs to maintain gratitude, appreciation, respect, and

practice humbleness with all Students. A Teacher should be among the deepest Practitioners of these Teachings. A Student will look to their Teacher as an example of how these Teachings should be practiced in daily life emulating their wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline. If a Teacher is not practicing politeness, kindness, friendliness, and respect, the Student would be lost in how to practice these same qualities of mind. Students who are choosing to diligently learn, reflect, and practice The Teachings should be appreciated by the Teacher. Without determined, dedicated, and diligent Students who choose to actively learn and progress on The Path to Enlightenment, these Teachings would soon fade out.

But over countless generations, these Teachings have continued to be

shared into the world based on mutual gratitude and respect among Students and Teachers. As soon as either a Student or a Teacher allows the ego to enter into the relationship and the process of clearly transmitting

these Teachings, it will pollute and hinder the ability of The Teachings to be effective at eradicating discontentedness from the mind of all beings. It is not possible to teach with ego nor teach through ego. The ego needs to be eliminated, eradicated, and destroyed for there to be a successful

Student/Teacher relationship and success in experiencing the Enlightened

mind. As a Community, we must always remember that it is not through our historical texts, intellectual knowledge, or words that we are able to share with the world the way leading to the complete elimination of discontentedness but instead, through our virtuous actions. It is our bodily, verbal, and mental actions, as shared in The Eight Fold Path, that will help others observe the way of practice leading to the complete end to discontentedness. A wise Practitioner will always and constantly remain watchful to never assume the ego is eliminated, actively applying their dedication to humbly learn and practice these Teachings to eliminate, eradicate, and destroy the ego.

Washing Feet

Washing someone’s feet can be powerful for them and you. It cultivates humility and a caring mind. It will help you to eliminate ego and is a practice that you should consider to incorporate into your life practice. In Thailand, it is part of the culture to wash the feet of your parents or other members of the family to show gratitude and respect. It is not a forced action or expected. It is up to the individual to decide if it’s something they should or should not do.

Thais practice washing feet at special times during the year. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, new years, and any time during the year they would like to share this special experience with those close to them. It is common to wash your parents’ feet on your birthday to thank your mom, dad, grandparents, members of the family, and Teachers for helping to guide you in life. No matter what our relationship is with our parents, they did struggle for many years to provide us our existence. We could never repay them enough for the hard work of providing us this existence and the sustaining of our human life. Washing the feet of family members, friends, Teachers, and people to whom you would like to show gratitude, appreciation, and respect, can help you cultivate a mind of loving-kindness and compassion while eliminating the ego. Each time you do, it gives you a chance to delicately provide a soothing and loving touch of the feet, that penetrates the heart and the mind. This practice could help anyone who would like to not only say “I love you” with words, but also with actions. When you wash someone’s feet, you are saying through your actions “I love you”, “I respect you”, and “I have gratitude and appreciation for you”. It is much more potent than anything you could ever say as actions speak much louder than words. A caring grasp, a nurturing way of washing the feet says everything you need to say but in the more powerful method of communication - through actions. Learning how to love without attachment is very important. It is possible to love without attachment. Care and love can come from a place of non- attachment and this practice can help you cultivate this mental state into your life for those who have had the most influence in sharing wisdom to help you grow and progress in this life. Washing the feet of others is also a powerful practice to eliminate the ego.

Learning Resources for Further Exploration

Audiobook

(Audiobook) - (Volume 1 - Chapter 16) - Dissolving the Ego: Ego Serves No

Purpose (Read & Listen)

https://youtu.be/VYO-HhQ8tO8

Ep. 516 - (Audiobook) - (Volume 1 - Chapter 16) - Dissolving the Ego: Ego Serves

No Purpose

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/buddhadailywisdom/episodes/Ep--516---Audiobook---

Volume-1---Chapter-16---Dissolving-the-Ego-Ego-Serves-No-Purpose-e272uhr

Youtube Video(s)

(Group Learning Program) - Chapter 16 - Dissolving the Ego: Ego Serves No

Purpose