The Ego Is a Monkey

Oct 3, 2017 | Tao du Jour

“The ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle.

Totally fascinated by the realm of the senses, it swings from one desire to the next, one conflict to the next, one self-centered idea to the next.

If you threaten it, it actually fears for its life.

Let this monkey go. Let the senses go. Let desires go. Let conflicts go. Let ideas go. Let the fiction of life and death go.

Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there.”

Hua Hu Ching by Lao Tzu* – Chapter 10, translated by Brian Walker

*The claim that Hua Hu Ching, or Huahujing, was written by Lao Tzu is frequently challenged. For more on the subject, read the bottom half of this post.

The Ego Is a Monkey

Oct 3, 2017 | Tao du Jour

“The ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle.

Totally fascinated by the realm of the senses, it swings from one desire to the next, one conflict to the next, one self-centered idea to the next.

If you threaten it, it actually fears for its life.

(Photos courtesy of Pixabay)

Let this monkey go. Let the senses go. Let desires go. Let conflicts go. Let ideas go. Let the fiction of life and death go.

Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there.”

Hua Hu Ching by Lao Tzu* – Chapter 10, translated by Brian Walker

*The claim that Hua Hu Ching, or Huahujing, was written by Lao Tzu is frequently challenged. For more on the subject, read the bottom half of this post.