Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul Part 9 of 9: Don’t Be a Baboon
January 7, 2010 by dr. lam
We have categorized the soul into a small entity that somehow resides within us. Instead, the soul is a manifestation of the unlimitless possibility of who we are and who we can become. By saying things like, “I have a soul” or “He lost his soul”, we tend to box in the idea of a soul into a finite construct. Instead, view it as pure white light, as a part of you that has not boundaries, limitations, fears, anxieties, or frailties. It is everything.
Chopra recounts how the Bushmen in Africa have a scarcity of water and have much difficulty finding water. However, somehow the baboons have no problem in finding water. As a trick to have the baboon find water for them, the Bushmen put some nuts into a small hole of a hollow tree to entice the baboon to take the nuts. The hole is large enough for the baboon to put his hand into it to reach the nuts but once inside with a clenched fist, too small to retract the hand out with the prize. Most baboons do not want to lose their prize so they sit for hours struggling to get their clenched fist out of the hole. They usually give up when they get thirsty, and the Bushmen follow the baboon to the watering hole.
The moral of the story is about our soul. We tend to hold on to things so much that we remain trapped. Until we let go, we cannot gain our freedom. The soul is not something we can cling to. Like the story of the Bushmen, we can only achieve freedom if we learn to let things go.
What does letting go mean? Well, in short the soul is the opposite of the ego. Here is a short list to show you the differences:
SOUL/EGO
accepting/rejecting
approving/critical
cooperating/opposing
detached/clinging
calm/agitated
forgiving/resentful
selfless/selfish
peaceful/conflicted
nonjudgmental/judgmental
The problem is that we many times live under the influence of the ego that struggles to have our way, to be right, to make others wrong, to be better, etc. To see the soul, we need to start seeing the first column more clearly and that involves letting things go.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog series, as much I did writing and researching it!
Namaste.
Comments
4 Responses to “Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul Part 9 of 9: Don’t Be a Baboon”
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But, the baboon is very tenacious! Haha, j/k.
Great food for thought.
Thanks!
haha. yes.
thanks!
Great concept and great moral to the story! Dr. Lam, I like your list of soul vs. ego.
I’ve really enjoyed this series! Can’t wait for the other ones coming up! Thanks, Dr. Lam, for doing all the research and writing of them! Can’t thank you enough!! You’re just one swell person! 
thanks heather!!!!