When I wrote my book, The Self in No Self, I subtitled the chapter in which I presented the teaching I had received about surrendering the ego to our true Buddha nature, “The Missing Noble Truth.” While that may seem almost sacrilegious, the point I wanted to make is that after realizing the cause of suffering, in order to practice the noble Eightfold Path to end suffering, one must first, or better put simultaneously, surrender your ego to your true Buddha nature.
As I stated in the book, one cannot practice Right anything while your ego is still an active influence because it will subvert any such effort. What the ego desires is not Right effort, etc.
Later as related in a prior post, I realized that one reason why taking this step was so difficult is that as stated it is very much an act of will, and as they say in 12-step programs, addiction is self-will run riot. Instead, I realized that the 12-step concept of turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, while still an act of will was less confrontational and gentler.
Most recently, as related in the post, “The Heart’s Embrace,” I now realize that what turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature requires is having your heart embrace all aspects of your being. Making yourself whole in that way removes all internal struggle, lessening the power of the ego.
Without that action, you may have sincerely undertaken an act of volition … turning your will and your life over … but that volition needs to be perfected. And it is by embracing all aspects of your being that the volition is perfected.
The reason why I am writing this post now is solely to bring attention to the thought I expressed in my book, that this is a necessary step in practicing the Four Noble Truths. And that the way to achieve the surrender, the turning your will and your life over to your true Buddha nature, is to have your heart embrace all aspects of your being.
As I stated in the book, one cannot practice Right anything while your ego is still an active influence because it will subvert any such effort. What the ego desires is not Right effort, etc.
Later as related in a prior post, I realized that one reason why taking this step was so difficult is that as stated it is very much an act of will, and as they say in 12-step programs, addiction is self-will run riot. Instead, I realized that the 12-step concept of turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, while still an act of will was less confrontational and gentler.
Most recently, as related in the post, “The Heart’s Embrace,” I now realize that what turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature requires is having your heart embrace all aspects of your being. Making yourself whole in that way removes all internal struggle, lessening the power of the ego.
Without that action, you may have sincerely undertaken an act of volition … turning your will and your life over … but that volition needs to be perfected. And it is by embracing all aspects of your being that the volition is perfected.
The reason why I am writing this post now is solely to bring attention to the thought I expressed in my book, that this is a necessary step in practicing the Four Noble Truths. And that the way to achieve the surrender, the turning your will and your life over to your true Buddha nature, is to have your heart embrace all aspects of your being.
RSS Feed
