The instance of the coming of a man into the world does not mark the coming of a human being. He has to be one in his life by realising his God in his self. Human ego is as an untamed beast or an uncultivated orchard plant. Though a potential good, it is not only useless but a wasteful entity, until and unless domesticated by taming or grafted with a sweet scion. The graftage that turns bitter berries of lust into the sweet fruits of love, softness into patience and power into bravery.
The ever desiring beast of ones material self, requires to be given reins to troll along safely and tying it to a cart, which is nevertheless a skilled activity, and demands an adept and dexterous hand. The beast, allegorically representing the ego needs to be weakened before the process of taming, so as to be not overpowered by instead, while struggling to overcome it. This is to be done very carefully by lashing it and scaling down the tastes of tongue and touch. Once the ego is rendered weak before the will of the soul, it gives up all resistance to rein, saddle, and cart.
At this moment the beast turns into a useful animal of transport to carry you along the Journey of life, and a beast of burden to carry your deeds and earnings. The beast now becomes an asset, one can trust upon to go according to his higher thinking and will. It is to be patted now for being your servant and not a wild thorny bush of the past, thorned to bleed the soul. Similarly, as a wild grown uncultivated orchard plant, ego is to be reduced to a mere stock by cutting it in the shoot, to engraft a desired scion in it. The apparently disastrous cut of the shoot may irritate someone uninformed or not acquainted with the procedures of orchard, but not the skilled orchardist who knows the value of the practice of graftage.
Though the taming or the grafting of the ego, is somewhat unavoidable and uncompromisable aspect of a meaningful life, which can never be put off to tomorrow till the means and ways are found, still then, the apprenticeship of an expert tamer and the skillful orchardist rather the guidance of a preceptor is the necessary step towards the awaking of the soul. It is that very tamer who will teach you the art of overpowering the instinctual ego to use it for your advantage. The outer preceptor is actually the reflection of the inner awaking and whenever and wherever a student is born, the teacher has to take birth there, necessarily as well. The preceptor does not provide a basket of the fruits of vision, but the graft to grow them yourself. It is like the starter culture to start with.
Let not the life fall prey to the peripheries, missing the point and essence as well. The elephant of ego is really a powerful animal, that needs to be reined and whipped, unless and untill brought under control. Left untamed, it is dangerous , sure to drag us any moment, any where and any way. God save.