Pure Mountain Tao

How much ego do we need? I would say about the same as the amount of bleach needed to purify water. Just a few drops will do. Any more will spoil the water and make it undrinkable. Too much ego makes life unlivable, at least in any kind of peaceful manner. I believe it takes a certain amount of ego to make us want to put forth the effort to practice.

Many believe that the ego should be eradicated entirely, but this is mistaken in my view. The idea of practice is not to crush or eliminate all ego, but to cut it down to size and manage it appropriately. With no ego at all, why would we bother to do anything? If one can learn to manage their ego, then ego can actually be quite helpful in the development of good qualities.