Thank you Ralph:

“Only the power of understanding can defeat the ego.”

In the Mahabharata, the Kauravas chose Lord Krishna’s armies but the Pandavas chose Lord Krishna Himself. The ego wants possessions, worldly things, but the true seeker wants only understanding, because the light of understanding is the only thing that can dispel the darkness of ignorance. Understanding is an inner transformation, a change of mind, which is what is needed because the ego is nothing but a habitual way of thinking.

Understanding is really a rather mysterious thing. It is not just knowledge. You may have to hear a particular teaching many times before you can say that you understand it. Understanding does accumulate over time-if you look back on how you understand an idea today compared to how you understood it a couple of years ago, you will surely see the difference-but, as long as you are an aspirant, understanding is not as reliable as money in the bank.

You never know, when you wake up in the morning, what your understanding will be like. One day, you may feel that you understand very much, but the next day you may feel that you don’t understand anything. It is like the weather: it is changeable and not within your control. The life of the seeker is really the story of the changing pattern of darkness and light caused by the confrontation between the ego and the power of understanding.

In the early stages, the struggle seems fairly even, but as time goes on, understanding groups itself and asserts itself while the ego retires and retreats. In the end, the power of understanding, which is also the power of grace, is absolutely triumphant.

Sri Ranjit Maharaj

Photo by Jennifer Griffin on Unsplash