The Essence Of All Religion The Essence Of All Religions | Page 17

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The Essence of All Religion
ego of others, because they are naturally protected. However
you should not become an instrument in hurting their ego. You
must simply have a deep desire not to cause even the slightest
hurt to any living being. Be cautious not to hurt their ego.
Questioner : In one’s daily business, it is difficult to
avoid hurting the ego of some individuals, no matter how hard
we try.
Dadashri : That is not called hurting someone’s ego. The
ego is hurt for instance when you tell someone to shut up and
sit down. You should not hurt anyone’s ego in this manner. As
far as your business is concerned, when you say that you hurt
someone’s ego, it is really not the ego that is hurt, but rather the
mind that is hurt.
Questioner : An ego is not a good thing, is it? Then
what is wrong in hurting it?
Dadashri : You should not hurt one’s ego because he
believes that he is the ego. He is everything he does. Whatever
he does, he believes he is doing it. That is why you cannot hurt
it. That is why even at home you should not scold anyone. You
should make sure that nobody’s ego is hurt. When a person’s
ego is hurt, he becomes estranged and will not come close to
you again. You should not demean anyone by calling them
useless. Yes, you may scold him, as long as you do not hurt his
ego. It is fine if he gets hit on the head, as long as his ego is
not hurt.
You should not have contempt for anyone, even for a
servant. Contempt hurts the ego. If you do not need his services,
then tell him so, gently and settle the matter by giving him some
money. You may recover the money but you should not hurt his
ego. Otherwise he will harbor revenge against you. This will
hinder your salvation.