THE EGO
The word "Animal" comes from the Latin word, "Animalis," and means "breath/soul."
The animals breathe, this is a fact, and is well proven. However, do they have a soul? This is still, a huge myth, since many believe that animals mimic our souls. A whole new kingdom, known as "Animalia," exists as per Carl Linnaeus, 1758.
So, in order to understand, we can put it this way, "Homo sapiens and "animalia" are very separate from each other, the classification is generated, of course, by humans. How are we different from animals? Is there any difference or, is it that we are very similar, but we fail to acknowledge them?
I often wonder -
What all things can we do, which animals can't - let's delve a little more deep.
1) We can analyse.
2) We can judge
3) We can segregate
4) We are panel of deciphering everything
5) Able to mince words, thoughts, emotions, feelings, minds and everything around us, into smaller pieces.
6) Paralysing and bewitching the whole world around us in entirety is also one of the attributes.
7) Complete biopsy and autopsy is done to fulfill our buckets of curiosity.
dichotomize
8) Royal sketching, visualisations, imaginative thoughts and ideas.
These above qualities are attributed to our huge and complicated synaptic network inside our brain.
Now, I am leaving the body and the heart out of this conversation since upon close observation, I have found that every being on Earth functions in the same way, when it comes to the heart and the body.
There is however, one more thing, which resembles in every human and yet, seems to be not affecting the animal kingdom- EGO.
Hence, now we know, that there are actually two places where we can see a lie existing-
1) Soul and its existenceh
2) Ego and its existence
We will try to delve a little deep into both the above topics.
Let's tackle EGO first-
WHAT EXACTLY IS AN EGO?
I am sure that as soon as the child is in his/ her second decade , the child must have at least for once encountered the word "EGO," thanks to the media, religion, spiritual leaders, colourful political parties, preachers, family astrologers, homely saints, self defined God's who take it as their responsibility to explain and dichotomise the word "Ego" in a zillion ways.
I would pen down a small incident here. Maybe, it can helps us all to understand the word better without creating any definition- I am sure there are many, who would definitely be knowing the definition of Ego by now within their solemn hearts.
So, I am not going to cross any lines here. But, since I am writing here about the topic, it is also important to elucidate a certain meaning in a subtle way. A story is a best way, I have always felt and indeed, a beautiful medium to put forth our thoughts, since often can be left without any conclusions.
THE STORY OF THE GIFT.
"One day, when the Enlightened One, passed a village, he decided to choose a large shade tree to sit beneath so that the huge group of monks and nuns following him could rest awhile out of the heat. Often during these times, he chose to speak and teach others. Soon, villagers heard about the visiting teacher and and many gathered around him to hear him .
One man stood around at the corner and watched the crowds grow silently. Suddenly, he shouted loudly and when the whole crowd including the Enlightened One looked towards the source of the sound, they all found a surly looking man gazing at Buddha with eyes like two pieces of dark black coal on fire.
"Go away! You have come to the wrong place. You have come to benefit from us. You teachers come here to say a few pretty words and then you, would ask for food, money and shelter."
He had shouted with all his might, since he stood quite far from the Enlightened One.
Buddha was unruffled by these insults and he remained calm, speaking to the man with loving kindness, politely beckoning this young hot blooded man onwards him.
"If I purchase a gift for you and you do not accept the gift, to whom does the gift belong?" the voice was a mere lullaby to this hot head who stood there for a moment as though in a trance trying to understand the question. The young man by now, had forgotten his anger slightly, owing to the kind, cool words which emanated His persona and also due to the suddenness of the question. Slightly, still confused, if he thought it right, he hesitated as he replied-
"I guess it remains yours."
Buddha smiled at the answer acknowledging his mental prowess hidden beneath the clouds of attachment and anger.
"Exactly, now, if I do not take your , your words and all your anger, whose will it remain?"
The man quietened and slowly bowed in front of this Great Teacher.
At this point you can very well see that there are two to three egos to which the man succumbs, if you only see closely.
Often, when we look at animals, do we see EGO? Maybe, we do but have we seen them in extreme emanations? I can be sure that you haven't and not everyday. We can see all the emotions being exhibited by the animals, but, somehow cannot feel the Ego so tangibly, as we see it in the Human beings. They do not seem to get driven by the same madness which drives the human race crazy, day in and day out.
This, it can mean only two things-
1) They have mastered the phenomenon called Ego
2) They were not given anything called Ego
To be continued....
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