There is no 'thing' to let go of, but a concept, an idea of an ego that burdens us. As soon as we posit a 'thing' to let go of, we're in trouble. We need to change our view of reality, not attack a nonexistent entity.
Fools take to themselves the respect that is given to their office.
Eric Schmidt from Google is one of my favorite mentors. And Eric would always say this very humbling thing that's really true, which is, he would say, 'Good executives confuse themselves when they convince themselves that they actually do things.'
The real in me longs for peace. The unreal in me longs for power.
The real you is on the side of God against the false self
See, every thing in show business is a lie. It ain't all it's cracked up to be. You are in situations where you are forced to think that you are better than everybody else because of the pedestal the fans place you on. It's a lie. This is just a job, a high-profile job. You have to keep that in perspective and not get caught up in the hype.
A man given to pride is usually proud of the wrong thing.
Buddha called himself 'The Enlightened One' and Jesus called himself 'The Son of God'. To me the term 'World-Teacher' is of as little importance as 'The Son of God' or 'The Enlightened One'.
Actions themselves form no bondage. Bondage is only the false belief,"I am the do-er."
If you are aware that people are coming to you to receive your gift and not necessarily to you as the person, it keeps you very humble. Many people make the mistake of confusing the attraction of people to their lives as something that has to do with them as a person or a personality, and this is very dangerous and not true.
Prominence is cool, but when the delusion kicks in it can be a drag. Especially if you choose to surround yourself with friends and not acolytes.
Sometimes, when you work with mediocre talents, they feel entitled. They act like stars. Genuinely talented people don't.
I feel like people start to believe things that people say about them and start to think they're really important. If you have a family that is down to earth and cool, I don't see how you can be like that.
If I thought it was my identity to be a spiritual teacher, that would be a delusion. It's not an identity. It's simply a function in this world.
Bless people when they revile you. Think how much good they are doing by helping to stamp out the false ego.
These false answers such as, I am stone, I am bird, I am animal, I am man, I am woman, I am great, I am small are, in turn, received, tested and discarded until the Question arrives at the right and Final Answer, I AM GOD.
The attempt is to kill the false "I", so that the real "I", the Lord, will reign. "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me," say the Hebrew scriptures.
