"Imagine that you have just realized that you are in a middle of a big war. You have just grasped that death is at the moment of descending upon you, because there is a battle all around you. This is actually the case. We are ninety-seven percent trapped in the ego. This means we have three percent capacity left to escape -- if we use it. If we do not use it, we are lost. We will be absorbed in that battle, crushed." - Gnosticteachings.org
Understand what the ego is here, Pinpointing the Ego. If war is caused by the minds of men imagine what your ego (mind) does to you. This is why you can begin to understand your own ego through meditating, try Dhyana meditation. The thing with meditation is you should keep going with the focus on the breath. When you have started a session, of course it will be difficult to focus on the breath because the mind goes in all directions. However remember to just simply go back to the breath. It will be a bit of a struggle, don't worry this is normal. But if you stick with it, your mind will eventually slow down further and further. The mind moving in all directions is your ego, which you have no control over...even if you think you do have control, you actually don't.
When your mind has quieted down, you will see how calm, peaceful, and graceful you are. This is part of the real you. Until the ego eventually starts to come back again and disrupts the peace. This is why it is essential that meditation be consistent! You have to be consistent with your practice otherwise you fall into the trap of the ego again. The ego is very tricky. You can see just how tricky it is by noticing how it behaves whenever you first enter a meditation session. See how easily it tricks you away from the focus on your breath? That is just the beginning of understanding why and how you are not in control. There are many layers of the ego.
Another reason why people learn to embrace meditation is because the ego (voices in your head) becomes quite annoying, you will notice it. See, before even coming close to the idea of meditation, most of us do not even know that the voices in our head is an ego. Most of us don't even know that the voices are not who we really are. Most of us don't even know there are even voices! The longer you go after a meditation session without meditating, the more the mind and thoughts comes back again to control you. You now will surely notice this and it is very annoying. The more consistent you are with meditation sessions, the more in control you are because you will eventually be alert. However if you stay long without meditation, the ego starts to wake up again, the ego once again tricks you into thinking it is you or naturally you. Remember when I pointed out how tricky it can be by simply trying to focus on the breath at the beginning of a meditation session? This is why it helpful to some people to count their breaths (i.e. counting down 8 full breaths and repeat again and again).
Another thing I would like to point out is that not only do we have a problem with our own minds, now see the minds of men and the world. That is why there is so much chaos and destruction, darkness and greed. But adding to this problem, this external battle affects you because it actually keeps your ego alive by mind control. The quote above says: "We are ninety-seven percent trapped in the ego. This means we have three percent capacity left to escape." In other words, besides the trap, you are also in a cage. Escape by awareness and the tool of awareness is meditation.
When your mind has quieted down, you will see how calm, peaceful, and graceful you are. This is part of the real you. Until the ego eventually starts to come back again and disrupts the peace. This is why it is essential that meditation be consistent! You have to be consistent with your practice otherwise you fall into the trap of the ego again. The ego is very tricky. You can see just how tricky it is by noticing how it behaves whenever you first enter a meditation session. See how easily it tricks you away from the focus on your breath? That is just the beginning of understanding why and how you are not in control. There are many layers of the ego.
Another reason why people learn to embrace meditation is because the ego (voices in your head) becomes quite annoying, you will notice it. See, before even coming close to the idea of meditation, most of us do not even know that the voices in our head is an ego. Most of us don't even know that the voices are not who we really are. Most of us don't even know there are even voices! The longer you go after a meditation session without meditating, the more the mind and thoughts comes back again to control you. You now will surely notice this and it is very annoying. The more consistent you are with meditation sessions, the more in control you are because you will eventually be alert. However if you stay long without meditation, the ego starts to wake up again, the ego once again tricks you into thinking it is you or naturally you. Remember when I pointed out how tricky it can be by simply trying to focus on the breath at the beginning of a meditation session? This is why it helpful to some people to count their breaths (i.e. counting down 8 full breaths and repeat again and again).
Another thing I would like to point out is that not only do we have a problem with our own minds, now see the minds of men and the world. That is why there is so much chaos and destruction, darkness and greed. But adding to this problem, this external battle affects you because it actually keeps your ego alive by mind control. The quote above says: "We are ninety-seven percent trapped in the ego. This means we have three percent capacity left to escape." In other words, besides the trap, you are also in a cage. Escape by awareness and the tool of awareness is meditation.
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