The highest of aspirations is the aspiration to be humble. That, in fact, is the point of the Buddha’s teaching: he called on all of us to seek to reduce our egos so that we can be at peace. But our egos will not go away from us easily.
There are many kinds of destructive habits, but the most destructive habit is that of refusing to learn from our mistakes. If we insist on blaming others or blaming circumstances for our misfortune then we will never be able to move past self pity.
A more peaceful abiding is the ability to admit to ourselves that service to the ego will never bring us happiness. Such a state of mind is more peaceful because we will start to redirect our energy away from self-aggrandizement or self-loathing towards what is happening right now.
It is not really a counter to the ego that is needed so much as a redirection of its energy. Destruction of the ego is not an easy task and it should not be taken lightly. The Buddha recognized this and so, not only did he leave us a map in the form of his formal discourses, but he also passed us down a guide in the form of meditation teachers.
There is a formal training technique that has been passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken line since the time of the Buddha. You can tap into that powerful lineage by joining a meditation retreat at our centre. Our teachers are trained in the Buddha’s skillful technique called Vipassana which diminishes the ego. This practice will lead you to peace, happiness and satisfaction with life.