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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JANUARY 2019 | 35 PERFECTION AND THE EGO 'I' In the beginning, middle and even up to the very end of spiritual seeking, the tendency to take the view that Enlightenment (Self-Realization) has something to do with perfecting oneself is very strong. We seek to perfect ourselves according to some idea, an interpretation of what Enlightenment is. We think we have to be like a saint, totally dispassionate, a being who does everything perfectly, who has extraordinary powers, and is unaffected by pain and pleasure. But enlightenment has more to do with just being natural, ordinary and spontaneous. It's more like being a child, a child before the age of two when the ego structure of 'me' ("Look at me, mommy!") takes place. This view will continue until the inner struggle between our idea of what should be and what IS wears itself out. We are fine the way we are. If we could just get this much, then so much of the ego structure would collapse. An ego not fed will die of attrition. The ego wants to live, and just as Adyashanti said in the YouTube video, "Falling Away," it will throw all manner of obstacles in your path. The best of which is: You are just not good enough! Accept yourself as you are, be gentle with yourself. The point to realize is that the ego 'I' is an illusion. There is no 'me'. The 'me' we think we are is composed of ideas, concepts and conditioning, all of which are of the mind. The mind is a superimposition on the perfection that we are. Our spirit is perfect and needs no improvement! The difficulty lies in the fact that we take ourselves to be individuals, and we work to perfect the individual self (ego) as our way to approach enlightenment. This is an innocent mistake. Spiritual practice is the unlearning of the idea that we are individuals. When we meditate, or anytime we find ourselves entering a place of Stillness, we are allowing Spirit, the Self, to manifest in all of its purity. Each time we touch this Authentic, Divine place, we grow in the recognition of it as our True Self, and over time it becomes the place from which we proceed, rather than from the ego self. The beauty is that over time, coming from the place of ego self becomes increasingly uncomfortable. We become more sensitive to its workings, catch it much sooner, and bring Awareness back to its rightful place. Meditation: a pathway to truth

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