A flower lives among weeds without Ego...

A flower lives among weeds without Ego. It presents the opportunity for a brighter existence merely through its BEing...

Many who are walking the path to enlightenment falter from time to time. There are patches where it seems to be one step forward and two steps back. Obviously, faltering is an umbrella term that can be applied to a number of causes. In particular, I am referring to the frustration a traveler occasionally feels when faced with so many travelling the opposite way.

We all wander off the path now and again, but the focused traveler quickly realizes he/she has strayed, consults his/her compass and corrects. What troubles the focused pilgrim, is the number of people who have wandered off the path, who don't know how to read the compass, don't want assistance or are afraid to even examine the reality that they are lost. Their North Star is permanently obscured by clouds.

As one moves along the "Path," one's existence is more and more one surrounded by the glow of LOVE, JOY and PEACE. Life becomes so incredibly joyous and happy, that one wants to share this with everyone. A toddler will run to help an adult pick up something the adult has dropped. It is in our DNA to help, aid and assist each other. However, through a life time of Ego and cultural indoctrination many begin to see aid as something that should only be parcelled out to the deserving. Who is deserving? Those who your Ego JUDGES to be worthy, and those who benefit you, the individual, through your association. This association leads to separatism, which feeds the Ego. Association with the perceived "IN" group results in an Ego bath of superiority. The Ego relishes this and will increasingly think/say/do anything promoted by the group as long as it continues to be rewarded with membership. Eventually, things like lynchings, or the Irish potato famine, result when the "IN" group promotes distain and hatred so deep that death is not only possible, but deserved...

These kind of events and attitudes run completely counter to the experience of enlightenment. One does not have to reach enlightenment to feel this. Simply coming close often enough and/or by surrounding oneself with enlightened spirits, one can clearly see that not only are the attitudes of judgment, distain and hatred way off path, but all of the attitudes, of separatism and superiority are as well.

What is more frustrating than the lost people, the ones that don't even know the path exists, are the ones who know it does, who are familiar with it, but who say, "That's just the way things are," or "The problem is too big for me to do anything about," or "You have to go along to get along," and in their weakness do go along...

In "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle, the concept of flowers being the first examples of enlightened BEings emerges. At one time there were no flowers in the plant world. One day the first flower appeared, and showed all of the others what was possible... Slowly others followed the example and now many many plants live in grace as flowers. Among people there were first flowers, too. Buddha, Lao Tzu, Lord Krishna, Jesus and Muhammad were some. Later examples are Gandhi, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. Many of these "flowers" were murdered for their teachings. The weeds couldn't stand for their shining example. Flowering, as a way of life, continues to grow today, but many weeds are determined to hang on to their old ways, ways where they are rewarded through judgment, distain and hatred...

In a conversation with my daughter the other day, I was fretful. I had temporarily wandered off path. I was so distracted by the intransigent obdurance of the weeds, that I became disoriented, and told her I was having a difficult time finding the path again. She said, "I can understand your frustration, but imagine what it must be like for the Dalai Lama? He is the ultimate flower and everyone else must seem like a weed by comparison!" She continued, "The way I see it, you can revert, you can let your own Ego ruin your experience because you can't exact change at the speed you would like, or you can accept the ultimate challenge for a spiritual teacher, to learn to live among the weeds, helping and teaching when the opportunities present themselves, and allowing and accepting that the river is flowing where it should, when they don't."

Smart girl. Who is the teacher here?

Today, recognize when you are off path. Have the courage to make a difference. YOU may be the only person in the room who has a compass, so don't be afraid to lead others to the path, even if only by your example. Notice your Ego boost when you denigrate an "OUT" group and how you feel superior. Simply your acknowledgment of this will lead to a change of heart. Finally, accept that your example is the only true way to teach. A flower lives among weeds without Ego. It presents the opportunity for a brighter existence merely through its BEing...

Duffy