1
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How long will it take before my ego starts shrinking from meditation?

2
00:00:10,328 --> 00:00:11,390
How long will it take?

3
00:00:17,176 --> 00:00:19,018
Ego is really tough.

4
00:00:19,038 --> 00:00:20,219
Go ahead.

5
00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:24,324
So I'm saying is there a certain amount of time that it's supposed to take?

6
00:00:27,688 --> 00:00:29,650
One week and three days.

7
00:00:33,055 --> 00:00:36,963
No, but ego is a difficult one.

8
00:00:38,866 --> 00:00:39,828
Ego is difficult.

9
00:00:39,908 --> 00:00:41,872
You have to be repeatedly crushed.

10
00:00:44,998 --> 00:00:47,122
Your ego has to be crushed by reality.

11
00:00:48,906 --> 00:00:52,713
Reality has to get in the way of the ego.

12
00:00:52,733 --> 00:00:55,198
It has to show the ego it's wrong.

13
00:01:00,477 --> 00:01:06,483
As with everything, it comes gradually, and it should come from the very beginning of meditation.

14
00:01:07,304 --> 00:01:10,967
If you're practicing vipassana, it should come gradually.

15
00:01:10,987 --> 00:01:16,513
Every moment that you practice vipassana should be attacking the ego.

16
00:01:16,553 --> 00:01:26,282
But there are moments of incredible revelation where you just realize what an egotistical jerk you are.

17
00:01:26,752 --> 00:01:33,041
Or you realize how, not egotistical, but how useless you are.

18
00:01:33,081 --> 00:01:39,811
This is realizing how devoid of any value you are.

19
00:01:39,851 --> 00:01:41,794
That sounds horrible.

20
00:01:41,834 --> 00:01:43,677
It's the most liberating.

21
00:01:43,697 --> 00:01:47,483
The most liberating thing is to realize that you're useless, that you're valueless, that you're meaningless.

22
00:01:48,464 --> 00:01:49,165
It's so liberating.

23
00:01:49,185 --> 00:01:50,227
Because you have no stresses.

24
00:01:50,267 --> 00:01:56,556
You have no expectations put on you.

25
00:02:00,839 --> 00:02:06,745
when you're comfortable with being useless, with being valueless.

26
00:02:06,765 --> 00:02:08,347
That's the liberation of the ego.

27
00:02:08,467 --> 00:02:09,248
It's a part of it.

28
00:02:10,690 --> 00:02:18,919
So you have to come to this realization of how useless you are, realizing that really you have no purpose.

29
00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:20,741
It's true, though.

30
00:02:23,444 --> 00:02:26,627
It's wonderful to be useless, to be valueless, to be meaningless.

31
00:02:30,269 --> 00:02:30,730
I don't know.

32
00:02:30,750 --> 00:02:32,272
Maybe useless is going too hard.

33
00:02:32,572 --> 00:02:34,295
Useless isn't it?

34
00:02:34,315 --> 00:02:38,361
Because we are useful to ourselves, useless to each other.

35
00:02:39,482 --> 00:02:41,325
Useless is maybe not the right word.

36
00:02:44,650 --> 00:02:47,374
Pointless, valueless, worthless.

37
00:02:47,494 --> 00:02:47,934
That was it.

38
00:02:48,055 --> 00:02:49,016
Worthless is the word.

39
00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,222
Intrinsically worthless.

40
00:02:53,962 --> 00:02:55,024
Realize that you let go.

41
00:02:55,064 --> 00:02:57,048
You have no expectations.

42
00:02:57,569 --> 00:03:02,478
You can act without expectations, without worrying that are you really going to help people?

43
00:03:02,518 --> 00:03:05,644
Are your activities really going to be right?

44
00:03:06,806 --> 00:03:07,848
Really going to be any good?

45
00:03:09,371 --> 00:03:11,816
What does it mean for them to be any good?

46
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,683
You just see that they are what they are.

47
00:03:16,068 --> 00:03:30,047
And then you're really useful, you're a real help to yourself and others, acting in such a way that brings about benefit for yourself and for others.

48
00:03:30,067 --> 00:03:43,965
It's definitely when the aversion sets in and you look at why you don't want something and you see I and you see the ego, it's usually a good every now and then you see why you suffer.

49
00:03:47,050 --> 00:03:47,983
reverend