Putting Ego Aside
The aim of zazen can be said to be the reduction of the effects of self or ego in one’s life. Zazen allows seeing things as they are without ego distortions of judging what is seen, not accepting it, worrying about it, or opposing it when nothing can be done.
Seeing things as they are means accepting illness if it comes, accepting misfortune, accepting aging, and accepting death. In the 12th paragraph of the Buddha’s Bahiya Sutta (or Sutra), which can be found online, the advice is to remove the “you” from whatever is seen, heard, observed, and so on. To put it another way, the advice is to take the “I” out of “I am seeing, I am hearing, I am thinking,” and so on, and just observe these things, leaving them as they are.
Zazen practitioners are well equipped to do this, because when meditating, they put the self aside frequently and return to their focus on breathing. The self, the “you” or the “I,” can also be put aside anytime outside of zazen. Learning to do this is an invaluable aid in living, allowing a spacious and peaceful life.