I listened to a lovely dharma talk by my teacher yesterday about watching the ego. He told a story of a student who wanted to study with a Sufi master but lost the will to continue and left for many years. He realized he still desired to know the most important teaching of the master, and returned, expressing his regret. The master reassured him: You didn't miss anything. The sum of all my teachings can be written on a fingernail: Drop the ego.
My teacher also related how obsessed he'd been when the film "Lord of the Rings" came out, and then he was waiting for the second film, and then the final one. He was able to laugh at this craving later. But he realized the Golem was his favorite character because he represents the struggle of ego. Golem is switching sides from ego to right behavior back and forth. It's funny, but he is all of us. Trying to do the right thing, but hampered by greed, vengance, hatred, jealousy and all the rest of the concoctions the ego swims in.
When we can watch ourselves as we lean toward ego, then we can see the humor in our antics and be of a forgiving, non-judgemental mind. But the watching is forever, because the ego is strong and tricky.
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