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Translated teachings of Master Patana

Fear and Ego: Shut Up and Stop Holding Yourself Back

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We’re going to talk about fear and ego. These two, fear and ego, live in our minds and often control what we do in our lives.

Fear is like a ghost, always around, hiding in the corners of our lives. It’s not just about being scared of loud noises or sudden surprises. Fear is more sneaky. It whispers in our ears, “What if you mess up?” “What if they laugh at you?” “What if you’re not good enough?” Fear is like a cold hand on your heart when you try to do something new.

Then there’s ego, acting like it’s the most important thing in the world. But ego is not just about being big-headed. It’s about being stuck to an image of yourself that you’ve made up, filled with expectations, roles, and wishes. It’s about being scared to let go of this image, even when it’s holding you back.

Think of fear and ego like two sides of the same coin. Ego is scared of change, of losing control, of not being as great as it thinks it is. Fear uses these worries to get stronger.

This cycle keeps going, taking away our peace and making us feel trapped. But here’s the truth – we’re not helpless. This cycle is something we’ve made ourselves believe. We made it, so we can break it.

Imagine a dog chasing its tail, always running in circles, getting more and more upset, not knowing that it’s chasing a part of itself. That’s like us. The tail is our ego, and the chase is our fear. We keep going in circles, not knowing that what we’re chasing is a part of us, something we can control.

Once upon a time, there was a bird who lived in a dense forest. This bird was unlike any other – it was born with a golden feather. Everyone in the forest admired the bird for its unique feather. But along with the admiration came the bird’s fear of losing its golden feather. This fear, coupled with the inflated ego from the praise it received, kept the bird from flying too high or too far, worried that a strong wind or a cunning animal might snatch its precious feather away.

Year after year, the bird lived in the shadow of this fear, never daring to explore the vast sky or meet other creatures in the forest. It remained in its small nest, flaunting its golden feather but never realizing its potential to fly high.

One day, a raging storm swept through the forest. The bird clung onto its golden feather, terrified of losing it. However, the storm was too powerful, and it whisked the golden feather away. The bird watched in horror as its prized possession disappeared into the stormy sky.

After the storm had passed, the bird sat in its nest, feeling lost and helpless without its golden feather. It felt its identity, its pride, its ego, everything was tied to that feather. But then, it noticed the quietness, the stillness of the forest, the fresh smell of the earth after the rain. It felt a strange sense of peace, a relief that it no longer had to protect its golden feather.

With nothing left to lose, the bird hesitantly spread its wings and took off. To its surprise, it flew higher and farther than it had ever done before. The bird realized that its fear and ego, centered around the golden feather, had held it back from truly experiencing life and its own abilities.

The moral of the story is that, just like the bird, we are often held back by our fears and egos. We attach our self-worth to external things, which inflates our ego, and then live in constant fear of losing them. But once we let go of these attachments and the accompanying fear, we open ourselves up to a richer, fuller life.

So, it’s time to cut the crap. Stop giving your fears a free ride. Kick your ego to the curb. Remember, you are more powerful than your fears, and you are much more than your ego. Let go, and watch how far you can fly. Believe in yourself. You got this. It’s time you started believing it too.

Patana Org
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