Thank you, Lady, for being able to elaborate so beautifully. I also harp on ego-death frequently. It's a step I fear many forget, or don't know about, or are never given proper explanation. It is a part of the very work that we are a part of...whether we know it or not.
we discussed ego death quite in depth in the forum about chakras and the truth and we are always open for questions regarding it, but people here the word death and they think of finality instead of a beginning. Think of ego death as a door which you walk through and then when you are done you walk back through again, it doesn't close behind you, but also know if you bang the door too many times without taking a lesson that door will dissapear because you have then chosen ego above the soul, and then you are just wasting the universes time.
Take up the cross daily - stand behind your own truth, and seek daily to expand and change that truth untill only reality is left, it is a neverending journey, the soul can always grow more, especially if not bound by paradigms and boxes, links to my point below, cause in letting go and having ego death one frees yourself of useless paradigms.
He strives to die daily - a person should strive to die every moment possible, because within death we find clarity, without the worldly binding us where are our limits? each time we die we grow and learn, once you have let go of life once for that one moment you don't quite see what the huge fuss between life and death was about.
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Should we assume that this is the instruction given to all who wish to be considered "Christians"?
Or can we take from this that Christ was saying, If anyone should choose enlightenment, they must sacrifice themselves. Directly after this he says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self".
This is a value used in almost all monastic systems. The hard part is not denying the self, as it is much harder to deny the ones who are close to us. It is not the death of ego that poses the biggest obstacle, but acting as if the ones we love are no more.
How is it possible to deny one's self, but to not forfeit one's self? This is where self has two separate meanings. Deny yourself, but do not your will.
I'll skip a verse of the scripture and hope it ties my point together.
27"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
I don't suppose I'm asking for agreement, but I've spent a few days meditating on this and the general correlation of religion and spirituality. My point is not simply that Jesus was an enlightened man, but that even he gave instruction that stretches beyond the bounds of any religion. Instructions so that we may "come after" the enlightened, and ourselves be so.
Deny yourself and take up your cross daily. Die daily. This is the only way that we may recognize the truth.
