of consciousness. In sleep the mind temporarily forgets its identity but it does not finally lose its individual existence. When the person awakens he finds himself subject to his old limitations. There is a resurrection of consciousness, but it is still mind-ridden.
The limited mind is the soil in which the ego is securely rooted, and this ego perpetuates ignorance through the many illusions in which it is caught. Obstacle of the ego The ego prevents manifestation of infinite knowledge which is already latent in the soul; it is the most formidable obstacle to the attainment of God. A Persian poem says truly, “It is extremely difficult to pierce through the veil of ignorance; for there is a rock on the fire.” Just as a flame cannot rise very high if a rock is placed upon it, a desire to know one’s own true nature cannot lead to the Truth as long as the burden of the ego is placed on consciousness. Success in finding oneself is rendered impossible by the continuation of the ego which persists throughout the journey of the soul. In old age, an aching tooth can give untold trouble because it is not easily uprooted, although moving within its socket. In the same way the ego which might become feeble through love or penance, is yet difficult to eradicate. It persists till the very end. Though it becomes looser as the soul advances on the Path, it remains till the last stage which is the seventh plane.
Ego is the centre of all human activity. The attempts of the ego to secure its own extinction might be compared to the attempt of a man to stand on his own shoulders. Difficulty of overcoming the ego Just as the eye cannot see itself, so the ego is unable to end its own existence. All that it does to bring about self-annihilation only goes to add to its own existence. It flourishes on the
