Egoless awareness

Let me introduce you to a wonderful book by John Welwood entitled, Toward a Psychology of Awakening. There is a marvelous chapter called, "Ego Strength and Egolessness" that I want to quote today:

Understanding egolessness as the open hand out of which the clenched fist of ego forms helps us see that it poses no real threat to our existence or effective functioning in the world. A fist may be useful for some purposes, but in the long run we can do a lot more with an open hand. And in the end, it is only egoless awareness that allows us to face and accept death in all its forms. Recognizing ego death as an integral, recurring aspect of life makes it possible to overcome our fear of letting go. When we are not so driven to prove, justify, defend, or immortalize our bounded self, we can breathe more deeply, appreciate death as a renewing element within the larger circle of life, and embrace reality in all the forms in which it presents itself.