In normal everyday life, everyone goes about their business in a normal manner. But at certain moments, spontaneous thoughts occur, the person's past memories are automatically replayed, and they suddenly become cold, aggressive, or moody. Eventually, this subsides and they return to normal. If this happens frequently, it can tire those who are with them.
When you get drunk, your past memories are more likely to be automatically replayed. This can result in drunken violence, constant complaining, or the release of sexual desires that are usually not expressed. All are spontaneous thoughts.
Everyone has their own thought habits that they are not aware of, and spontaneous thoughts can be deeply ingrained in the mind. These can include feelings of inferiority, trauma, jealousy, resentment, and thinking only of one's own gain. If you are not aware of these, your actions may cause trouble for others, your reputation may suffer, and you may be attacked. Start by sitting quietly with your eyes closed for at least 3 minutes a day and focusing your consciousness on your heart. Various emotions will arise, but observe each one and realize that you have been swayed by them. This is the first step. If you repeat this, you will develop a habit of noticing whenever emotions arise. When you notice, your thoughts stop at that moment and you are no longer swayed. In this way, thought habits that hold you back will disappear.
If you are not always mindful of your thoughts, you can be swept away by them. Initially, you might feel bothered by the need to always be vigilant, but once it becomes a habit, the state of no-mind becomes easier.
Let's assume that no-mind has become habitual and a calm mind is maintained. However, this may only be due to the temporary absence of worries. Eventually, when you face a crisis, it may trouble your mind.
As long as humans are controlled by the ego, it's difficult to eradicate attacks on others. As long as there is a concept of "self", we prioritize and protect ourselves, and try to elevate our evaluation. When the ego has an unpleasant experience, the attack on the other person begins. How the attack is received determines whether it is bullying or not. Spreading the idea that bullying is bad is good, but for those strongly attached to their ego, morality is just a superficial story, and on the field, they think about winning against their opponent. Bullying is more likely to occur when you have to stay in the same place for a medium to long term. Creating an environment to avoid such situations can help avoid bullying. If it's a one-time harassment, it becomes a lesson to avoid that person.
As the ego fades, the real desire to defeat others and the competitive spirit also fade. Thinking that there is no meaning unless you win, you need to win, is also attachment and ego. That can also become suffering.
Even if it seems like you're competing, if there's no thought clinging to winning or losing, it's just frolic, fun, and moderate exercise. When you start to cling to winning or losing, ego is born from suffering and a sense of superiority.
Reaching the peak means eventually facing the pain after it has passed. If you're attached to it.
You need to be in a state of no-mind every day, that's also one kind of attachment. Don't be trapped by form, just relax and be in no-mind.
It's a contradiction to be attached to not being attached.
Even if no-mind becomes habitual, spontaneous thoughts of fear and suffering can occur momentarily. But if it's a habit, you'll quickly notice those thoughts and just observe them disappearing.
Criticism arises when new things start to emerge in the world. Mobile phones, computers, and the internet were all criticized. Behind criticism, there are thoughts of fear, anxiety, rejection, and attachment to the past.
There is no good or bad in pursuing material things, and if you get them to the fullest, you'll realize that they don't make you truly happy.
When people are stressed, they start thinking about themselves and the cause. Then, they try to correct their shortcomings and become wiser. Suffering is something you want to avoid, but if you face it head-on, it leads to growth.
As long as there is an ego, knowing that everyone is suffering in some way, feelings of empathy and compassion for others will sprout. This can help suppress the temporary feelings of jealousy and anger that arise.
If you place your values on external things like material possessions and then get married, it can cause mental distress. You lose your own time, your discretionary money disappears, your partner's words and actions become stressful, the feeling of being tied down by not being able to quit your job, and anxiety about the future. This suffering comes from seeking things outside of yourself. On the other hand, this can also be a good opportunity to realize the intrinsic value within.
In both romantic relationships and marriage, if the two people are not aware of each other's consciousness, the ego, which prioritizes "me", starts to have various expectations of the other. If the other person does not meet these expectations, they turn into disappointment. Strong egos have big expectations, and dissatisfaction with the other person also increases. Expectations and disappointments are thoughts. For those with thin egos, compassion becomes greater than expectations for the other.
The ego always expects "my" joy in everything. And it also gets disappointed.
When someone expects something from you, moving out of fear of disappointing them if you don't respond is not intuitive, it's ego preservation. However, acting out of goodwill for the person who has expectations is love.
The ego can't sit still quietly. It becomes anxious when there is nothing to do. That's why it always wants to think and move. It thinks it has to do something.
The ego can't stand boredom or loneliness, and looks at mobile phones or meets friends to distract itself. These feelings also come from thoughts, and they disappear when you become no-minded.
If you suddenly fall ill and have to be hospitalized, you will feel anxious. At such times, if you engage in no-mindedness, you will realize that your mind is occupied with thoughts of fear. If you become no-minded, you can see fear objectively. You can't feel happy, but it's good training.
When you become no-minded and exist as consciousness, there is no division. When you think and express it in words or sentences, division occurs. Good and bad, fast and slow, happy and sad, etc. A state without division is a state without thought. Words are useful for explanation, but they can only take you to the entrance.
Consciousness continues to exist even without thought, but thought cannot function without consciousness.
In daily life, we sometimes fantasize. Fantasies are thoughts, creating narratives of expectations, stories about anxiety, etc. The dreams we see in our sleep are also narratives created from thoughts about events experienced during the day, or they may be seeing intuitive things.
The joy of acquiring something is temporary. The stronger the ego, the more it will never be satisfied, no matter how much it acquires.
Thinking ability is a tool. Like a mobile phone, it's useful if you can handle it well, but if you depend on it, you'll be swung around and become addicted.
Addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and gaming addiction occur when memories of past comfort, pleasure, and fun occupy the mind as unconscious thoughts, dominating the person's words and actions. That's why the same actions are repeated over and over again. Unconsciousness is a sudden thought.
In a money-oriented society, things that please the ego sell. Stimulating things, addictive things, scandals. Strong flavors rather than mild ones, sweet tastes. Talkative or funny people rather than quiet ones. Entertainment, movies, games, martial arts, sports instead of natural landscapes. All stimulate the senses, making it impossible to get bored. The ever-demanding ego is pleased. The ego dislikes quiet, motionless things. However, after getting tired in a noisy place, there may be times when you go to a quiet place and feel calmness. That's the comfort of existing as consciousness.
The ego is always seeking some kind of stimulation. If you get used to it, becoming no-minded feels boring. Then, the seriousness towards no-mindedness decreases, and you forget about it in three days. The commitment to no-mindedness tends to end in a three-day monk. Serious determination and long-term continuity are required.
When you see something and it stays in your memory, you remember it at unexpected times. Even more so if it's easy to understand, easy to remember, or addictive. If you're always looking at it, you feel a sense of familiarity. If you are unconscious in a sudden thought, your body responds to that thought. Then you take actions like buying something or going somewhere. Advertising is an easy example.
The ego develops science and technology to win competitions and gain profits. However, even if science advances, if human commitment to no-mindedness does not develop, it will lead to self-destruction.
People suffer for fear of death, but they would still suffer from aging even if there was no death. When you think about it, your perspective on death changes.
Material things will inevitably collapse someday. Houses, plants, bodies, the sun. The only thing that lasts forever in this world is consciousness.
Leaves start off juicy and soft, then eventually dry up, harden, and fall. The human body is also juicy and soft when young, hardens and loses moisture as it ages, and finally dies. People who are honest, flexible, and positive have less influence from the ego and appear young, while those who are stubborn, unwilling to listen, and bound by fixed ideas have a strong ego. There are people who remain young at heart even in old age, and people who seem already old even when they're young.
Babies, not knowing that a bee can sting, do not fear when a bee flies around them. Adults, knowing that bees can sting, which is painful and frightening, react defensively in an instant. This is a defensive reaction of the ego, a thought and behavior stemming from past memories. When a bee threatens to sting a baby, a mother will selflessly chase it away. This is an intuitive action arising from consciousness, from love.
By observing the world, certain tendencies become apparent. For instance, if one acts with the welfare of others in mind, that person will be appreciated and thanked by someone. Conversely, if one acts out of self-centered thinking, they will be disliked by others. If you give a gift to someone, you might receive something in return. If you hit someone, you may be hit back or even arrested. Therefore, whether the thought is forward-thinking or backward-thinking determines the subsequent phenomenon that will return to you.
If you use your thoughts for good, good results will come back to you. If you use them for ill, ill will come back to you.
When you are tired or irritable, problems tend to occur. Negative thoughts create negative events.
From the perspective of the ego, it's "my" life. But from the perspective of being conscious, there is neither "me" nor "my life." The one and only consciousness exists before "I" was born, after "I" was born, and after "I" die. When existing as consciousness, it transcends life and death.
As long as there is ego, problems and suffering will occur. That suffering is not an enemy, but a cue to realize the ego. Emotions like attack, jealousy, resentment, inferiority complex, and obsession create suffering, but those events are cues to realize the ego. If there are emotions that you have not overcome in the past, events will occur to overcome them.
When you realize that you were captured by the ego, you can see that human history has been a history of being captured by the ego.
○Organizations and Leaders
The more sincere people there are in an organization, the more harmonious and friendly the atmosphere becomes. Sincerity is a trait shown by those who are less ensnared by their ego, or those who exist as consciousness. Conversely, when an organization consists of many individuals with strong egos, it becomes uncooperative, lacks harmony, and increases in corruption and discord.
People do not desire conflict or war. If conflict arises, the ego wants to defeat the other side and remain unscathed. The opponent has the same thought. Therefore, it's best if conflict does not occur at all. For this, we need to choose leaders who do not have internal conflicts, at all levels and in all places. Otherwise, leaders with strong egos will appear, prioritize their own safety, and start conflicts. This creates anxiety in the surroundings, increases the number of armed individuals, heightens tension, and escalates the conflict. Recognizing this vicious cycle by people worldwide is the first step towards electing good leaders.
Citizens consider the military an organization to protect their country and its people. However, if the leader of the country is a person strongly ensnared by their ego, like a dictator, the military can become a threat to the people. For example, they may arrest or shoot those who oppose their policies. In other words, the military, intended to protect them, can also become a threat. Therefore, it's better not to have a military at all.
When a dictator with a strong ego becomes a leader, they act for their own benefit and ignore the opinions of the people. When someone who exists as consciousness becomes a leader, they act for the common good and respect the opinions of the people. Any other leader would lie somewhere in between.
When a person with a strong ego becomes a leader, they will do anything to maintain their position. As a result, they never retire and try to stay in power by changing the law if necessary. If this person is a dictator, they will rule with fear, people will be attacked by the military, and they will be unable to resist. People must be careful in choosing their leaders.
Dictators issue laws to their citizens prohibiting criticism of themselves and their countries. This is an egoistic action to protect "me."
A leader with a strong ego and greed can be called a liar, a thief, and a fraud.
Even if the number of enemies around increases and their position becomes unfavorable, those with a strong ego do not change their bullish attitude. They repeat the methods they've used so far to intimidate others. To the ego, faltering means losing. Even so, when their position becomes precarious, they often make concessions to the opponent or run away.
Whether in a large entity like a country or a small group of friends, those with a strong ego rule over people with fear.
The ego fears getting hurt, so leaders with a strong ego are always afraid of someone rebelling against them. Therefore, they start thinking about how to monitor people. Then, people lose the atmosphere where they can freely express their opinions, and their lives become constrained. Eventually, the government changes the law, and those who express opposition to the government are arrested.
From large organizations like countries to small local ones, when a person with a strong ego becomes a leader, the situation of the organization deteriorates and even when they are criticized by members, they don't easily relinquish their power. When criticism escalates and demonstrations begin, they feel their safety is in danger and flee. This could be abroad or to a nearby hiding place. However, they still maintain their position of power while on the run.
When a greedy leader commits wrongdoing, and the organization's situation worsens as a result, someone from within the organization will try to rectify it. However, this leader sees this person as a threat that could topple him, and tries to fire him.
A leader with a strong ego can easily lie. They make statements that give those around them hope for the future, but in the end, they don't follow through. For example, they may say they have no interest in power but try to maintain their influence by changing their position, or promise various reforms, which end up being merely superficial. In other words, they tell lies to get by.
Among leaders with a strong ego, there are those who are skilled in the art of speech. And being strong-willed means having a strong fear, so they are sensitive to opposing opinions from those around them. Therefore, when there seems to be a possibility of resistance, they quickly try to control the situation with a temporary lie. If those around them have low thinking or analytical abilities, they can be swayed by these lies.
When someone with a strong ego becomes a leader, they hand over power to their family or sons, or put them in special positions. Thus, the same family lineage continues to rule generation after generation, causing suffering to the people.
There are people who are capable, intelligent, proactive, have a loud and strong voice, are good at speaking, stand out, seem scary when angry, look respectable, have dignity, etc. In an organization, they may naturally be chosen as leaders. However, before considering these elements, it's necessary to see whether the person is sincere. This determines whether the leader's decisions are good for everyone or only for some people. When a sincere and intelligent leader distributes the wealth in front of them, they consider various factors and aim for fair distribution based on the overall good. If a smart but insincere leader distributes, they do so based on how much they and their close associates can gain. When a sincere leader scolds, they do so thinking about the other person's growth. When an insincere leader scolds, they do so in retaliation for not doing as they said, or to prevent themselves from being disadvantaged in the future.
When a person who is intellectually brilliant, highly capable but insincere and selfish becomes a leader, they may achieve results or make progress in the short term. However, when viewed from a medium to long-term perspective, the organization decays because of the continued imposition of inequality and dictatorial decisions. The residents also get caught up in this. Therefore, the first priority is to choose someone with a sincere character, and then choose a leader who is capable among them.
When a leader is chosen just because they are good at their job, the staff in that group may suffer. If the leader lacks sincerity and compassion for others, attacks on those who can't perform begin.
A leader with a strong ego tends to brag about the achievements of their subordinates as if they were their own.
The more ego is involved in a leader's decision-making, the further they stray from sound judgment. For instance, factors like anger, resentment, inferiority complex, and personal gain can skew their decisions.
A leader who adheres to a "tit-for-tat" policy is not suitable for the role. Even if the immediate problem is resolved, resentment from the other party remains, and retaliation might come after 1 year, 10 years, or even 50 years.
One should not choose a leader who makes people feel like they will be retaliated against if they oppose them. Those who choose such a leader are doing so out of fear, and their judgment is biased.
If a leader is insincere, the organization won't be a comfortable place to be.
People with bad personalities are disliked, while those with good personalities are liked. People don't want to belong to an organization run by someone with a bad personality. Therefore, it's necessary to choose a leader with a good personality. A good personality refers to someone who is not overly attached to their ego and exists as a conscious being.
If a leader is coarse, those staff members who are not coarse will feel ashamed to belong to that group, especially when other people find out.
Credibility is more important for a leader than their title. To gain credibility, one needs sincerity and competence. If a leader is credible, the staff will trust and listen to them, and take action, even without a title. If a leader only has a title, the staff will only pretend to obey superficially.
When a person with a strong ego becomes the boss, the patterns that follow tend to be similar. It progresses like this:
When a person with a strong ego becomes the boss, like attracts like, and other people with strong egos gather around. They become underlings and yes-men. These underlings are skilled at flattery, adept at showing the boss words and actions that would likely please them. They then receive special treatment from the boss, are promoted faster, given special positions, and may receive higher salaries or more shares than others.
Since both the boss and the underlings are driven by self-interest, they prioritize themselves. As a result, other members of the organization, who work seriously, start to feel that working hard is futile and ridiculous. The sense of solidarity and self-restraint in the organization disappears, and corruption and malfeasance advance as people stop caring or paying attention.
At this stage, it becomes difficult for the serious members to call out and stop the behavior of the boss and the underlings. This is because people with strong egos are aggressive and have a bullying nature, and those who try to point out their behavior feel the risk of being attacked and fired.
People with similar personalities, namely strong egos, get along well, and the initial relationship between the boss and the underlings feels good. However, due to a lack of self-control over their desires, the boss starts to overdo things and lacks stable decision-making. For example, their share might be abnormally large, they might misuse the organization's assets, or their instructions might lack moderation. The underlings, too, will become jealous and dissatisfied if their allocation isn't as large as the boss's. As the underlings are basically yes-men and are afraid of the boss, they can hardly assert themselves face-to-face.
Thus, no one can stop the boss's rampage, the management of the organization tilts, and the underlings also start to feel their own danger. Then the underlings start to become enemies of the boss. Internal strife begins, and they act as if they had never received special treatment from the boss by flattering him, and they start to wave the flag of justice. Typically, a boss with strong self-interest can blame others no matter how much they are at fault, and they can claim to be a victim, even if they have to lie. They will also be the first to assert this to outsiders, try to increase their allies, and build a dominant situation. In this case, depending on the situation, the boss may run away from the scene and hide.
Then, assuming that the organization doesn't collapse luckily and the boss leaves the organization after twists and turns, the problem doesn't end there. If someone among the underlings, who have similar strong egos as the previous boss, becomes the new boss and takes a position of influence, the same thing will be repeated. Even if the serious members point out the past mistakes of the underlings at this time, the underlings will not admit them and will blame everything on the previous boss. In other words, people with strong egos always blame others, repeat the same thing, and do not grow. And it's taken for granted that afterwards, they will have more shares or receive special treatment just for themselves. Thus, the negative chain continues.
To break this chain, it is necessary to completely renew the members with strong egos. However, as these underlings are driven by strong desires, they often are types who work with great enthusiasm, and their influence is large both internally and externally. Therefore, renewing these underlings can be challenging unless the next boss is sincere, has the ability and determination, and is brave enough not to fear being resented by the underlings. In other words, before this happens, when choosing a boss, it is necessary to discern whether that person has a strong ego and strive to choose someone sincere. For better or worse, the impact eventually comes back to everyone in the organization. And to rebuild that organization requires a tremendous amount of energy.
In a world where citizens worldwide lack the perspective of choosing a leader with no internal conflict, individuals with strong desires are likely to become leaders. In the case of an open election, everyone has the right to become a leader. This is not a fair mechanism where anyone can become a leader depending on their efforts, but a system in which the greedy can mix with the candidates, making it difficult for voters to distinguish. Therefore, there is a possibility that individuals with strong egos can become leaders. When such a self-centered person becomes a leader, their ego fears losing, advocates the militarization of their own country, and insists that it also acts as a deterrent. However, if there are self-centered leaders in other countries, they share the same fear and begin to increase their armaments. Thus, a peaceful society never arrives in such a continuous cycle.
When choosing a leader in an open election, individuals with strong egos emerge. Among them are greedy ones who want to be respected by others, seek status and honor, and the cunning. The people belonging to such an organization begin to dislike the organization. Even if there is a person who is generally sociable and has a good reputation, close family members and coworkers who spend every day together know their true character. This perspective is necessary to choose a social leader, and it is more appropriate to push up a leader by recommendation to build a peaceful society.
A sincere leader recommended by those who know their private life attitude, rather than those who want to become a leader themselves, is more suitable for building a peaceful society.
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