Trying to live a calm life may lead to bringing peace to your surroundings. To achieve this, it is important to diminish both the ego and its self-serving desires. To be clear, the “ego” is the part of the self that you are consciously aware of, and “self-interest” can be understood as the desires arising from that ego. Of course, it is impossible to eliminate them entirely. We naturally seek a better life, and we possess the basic instincts for survival. We want to eat delicious, nutritious food, we need to protect ourselves from the heat and cold, and we instinctively try to defend ourselves.
The problem, however, is letting these desires out into the world without any restraint. That is why you should always remain aware of the ego’s presence within you. When a self-serving desire arises, try to contain it inside before it manifests as words or actions. It is like taking a few seconds to steady your breath when you feel anger welling up.
This may seem sudden, but I would like to briefly touch upon the complex topic of “good and evil”. In Buddha’s teachings, what benefits oneself is considered “good”. However, we are also taught that we must not judge good and evil based on our own self-interest. You might wonder, “Then how should I judge?”. There is likely no single, ultimate answer. I believe it changes every time, depending on the situation or your relationship with others.
The one thing to cherish is to avoid being jerked around by your ego. By simply being mindful of this, you will eventually realize just how versatile this principle is and how it can be applied to almost anything. It seems that is simply the way the world works.