How to Keep Our Ego and Desires in Check

Our egos and desires can be a good and bad thing. If the excessiveness of both ego and desire is for the bad, it can make people become ego- centric and full of hatred. The “I” syndrome will be at the center of their world, not the logic of compromise. Ego and desire can not work without the other, but we need to control this balance to keep us in check.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

How to Keep Our Ego and Desires in Check

1. Keep your ego-style statements in check:
   Most ego-centric statement are use to cover up so that people don’t look foolish or superficial about what they desire. Just make sure that the desire you want is something that your ego can handle with class. Most people try and keep their desires secretly to help prevent being portrayed as ego-centric.
2. Don't let desires and ego cause suffering:
   This is a direct experience of the Dhamma, of the Four Noble Truths: Life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path of cessation of suffering. We tend to lock ourselves into a condition of suffering by wanting things to be different from what they are. This is true most people become attached to their material things and collect them. Some people even have a hard time giving old things away to charities. This takes practice. Look through all those old things piled up in your basement and attics and think how these items will make another person that has less with feel when they receive that item. Spread joy not suffering that is a good thing.
3. Don' let Your past affect your future:
   In the past you might have came from a family that had little material things, so you cling to your things. This will cause most people to worry constantly about losing everything. You need to add meditation into your life so that you can calm your mind and your soul. It will help eliminate the suffering. Just remember to give from your heart will always make you feel better. It is a healing of the soul.
4. Practice mindfulness:
   This could be also called vipassana meditation, it is essentially a practice of keeping the attention in the present moment. It is alright to have past memories, but don’t let then rule your present. Live the present as today and enjoy what life gives you. Try to let go of resistance to be irate with worries about suffering or those desires that you haven’t reached, yet. Yet, is right if you focus and take small steps those desire will stay in check and you will get that desire in a peaceful manner.