Jeremy Ball ventures down a path to spiritual awareness that's modest and honest - - and completely within the reach of us all.

This is dangerous ground to tread -- lecturing other people on spiritual ego. Let me start off by saying I feel well qualified, having succumbed to many battles with this ego demon. So these utterings come from someone sharing his insights and experiences, not a haughty pulpit. My partner and I have recently been honoured by the birth of a third child and just yesterday we completed the birth registration details. In the father's occupation section I entered "Tour Guide" and I smile as I remember with not a little embarrassment how, for the previous birth, I called myself a "Spiritual Tour Guide", to name just one such cringe-invoking memory.

Spiritual life can be summarised into living a path with the purpose of eradicating the ego and the development of virtuous qualities. The ego can be explained as a false concept of "I" or the self. We each have many concepts about who and what we are, which, in turn, limit what we can bring forth into the world of ourselves. The kind of qualities that have been considered virtuous by the Masters throughout time are kindness, compassion, forgiveness, integrity and honesty, to provide just a sample.

When we embark on a "conscious" spiritual path, our ideas about ourselves and our identity change. In creating this image of perceived perfection in our minds, we can actually create the thinnest, yet toughest, veneer of impenetrability upon the surface of our ego.

So, before turning to some of my teaching for simple, yet effective, methods to counter the effects of the scourge of spiritual ego, first let us discuss what this "spiritual ego" might look like. I always like to turn to the example of my mate Ian back in Jolly Old London Town. I have known Ian since I was 12 years old when we became next door but one neighbours and we have been firm friends ever since.

It's the sort of friendship where, although you might not have seen each other for several years, when you do meet up again it feels as if you never were apart, slipping back into an easy intimacy.

Ian left school at 16 to become an apprentice builder and has shown no interest in what the outsider may consider spiritual expansion. He wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between a chakra and Chopra, although I'm certain he can do a few nifty things with his spirit level. He would have certainly heard some colourful words on the building site but asana would not be one of them.

Yet it is a rare day that I meet someone as honest and integral as Ian and who has the strength of character to tell the absolute truth, even in uncomfortable situations or when that truth results in immediate loss to him, whether it be material, financial or stature in the face of others. (He obviously understands or simply feels the longer- term benefits).

Ian is incredibly centred, probably not the word he would use to describe this quality, and seldom loses his temper even in the face of testing situations. He has a natural faith and trust in life and in the flow of natural justice, but when questioned about this would most likely shrug and not have an explanation for it other than to say, "It's obvious" or, "It just feels that way". It is as if he carries an innate understanding of the spiritual rules of daily life, a fact that he is not aware of and certainly pays no attention to -- that is just who he is. I, on the other hand, have a small amount of what you could call spiritual understanding, but do I convert this into personal qualities and walk with them each day? Certainly, I believe, much less so than Ian.

The purpose of this is not to sing the praises of my mate -- he is unlikely ever to read these words and nor would he be particularly interested -- but rather to illustrate what I term "unconscious spirituality". Often, when someone says they are on a spiritual path, they really mean a "conscious" spiritual path, meaning they are making a conscious effort to bring spiritual wisdom into their life. Or at least read some books! But we are each a manifestation of the one all-encompassing spirit so how can we not each be on a spiritual path? Having a limited mental awareness of the path we are on doesn't make us better than those who are not; it is obvious to me that some who are not "aware" are, in fact, more advanced if that distinction can be drawn. Does the sun have to know it is a sun in order to shower its light upon us? Our level of spiritual development can only truly be measured by how we behave in the world and how we treat other people. The subject matter we study, or the context within which we study it, is really irrelevant.

Whether I learn about personal integrity through the Ten Commandments or through ethical business practices doesn't matter; it is much more important how well I have embodied the practices, forging them into qualities within the temple of my mind-body -- the imprint on my soul. Just as it doesn't matter whether I have learnt my football at the David Beckham academy or with a tin can in the back yard, what is most important is how well I strike the ball.
When Anubis, the Egyptian dog-headed god, weighs the hearts of mortal men against the feather to see who is light or pure-hearted enough to pass into the realm of the immortals, he is simply concerned with lightness of heart, not what or who you studied with to get it thus. Hermann Hess in his book Siddartha weaves the story of the simple ferryman who attained enlightenment by his gentleness of spirit as he served others and listened to the flow of nature.

When we embark on a spiritual path, as with any change in life, our concepts of self change. We get to see ourselves in a different light - and, hopefully, more clearly. A common danger with embarking on a spiritual path is that, unless keenly monitored, we can start to obviously or subtly develop the idea of self superiority. All spiritual systems tell us that we are one being; any divisions are temporary or artificial, so how can anyone be better than another. Thinking we are superior because we are better looking, or better at sport is one thing, but being spiritually better -- that is, fundamentally at source superior -- is a very dangerous notion indeed and one that's incredibly detrimental to further spiritual growth.

So how can we combat this?

* Taking a Spiritual Master By this I mean taking a guru and a genuine living guru, not someone who is prone to self delusions, and living so you don't need to imagine or hear secondhand what they are like, but you can actually experience the presence and how they behave toward other humans. This can help in two ways: firstly, the Master is so further advanced than you that you feel like a spiritual child, which is rather humbling ("I am not so special after all"); and secondly, their example will subtly chart you a course of deep integrity. Further, if you have close enough contact with them they will let you know when you err into the thickets of self delusion. His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama is my guru and guiding light. I just need to be in his presence or think of him and my back straightens and I laugh heartily at my pretensions. I also have other Buddhist Masters I look up to and know more personally who would quickly throw me a glance, ever so compassionately, if I were to let my ego off the leash.

* Giving up the Merit (especially good for healers, doctors or performers) This is very much a Mahayana Buddhist practice. Mahayana Buddhists have an appreciation of the interconnected nature of everything and their efforts towards enlightenment are not just for their little self, but for us all. So once they have performed anything of a meritorious nature, whether it be saving someone's life with emergency open heart surgery or helping an old lady cross the road rather than think, "How marvellous am I to help this poor being in such a way" instead they think, "How fortunate was I to have this opportunity to serve. It is only due to others' good deeds towards me in this and previous lives that I am in this position. May any merit that has been gained through this activity go towards the benefit of all sentient beings everywhere so we may reach mental liberation hand in hand". Not only is someone who thinks like this sharing her icecream, but she is also not building up anymore self identification (no more plastering being applied to the self). As we can see from the business of show (Hollywood and all that) many people in the limelight tend to suffer from ego build ups and ego breakdowns. An Indian sound healer, who put on the most magnificent performance holding the whole audience literally in trance, shared with the small audience, of which I was one, that he always plays a track last that counteracts any ego or pride that may have been built up within him from the applause and congratulations of the crowd. When will we see a cover version of this track in the Top Ten I wonder?

* Finally, hang around with good people, old mates who will tell you when you are getting too big for your boots, and keep the ability to laugh at yourself.

Ask them to be straight up with you, make a deal to watch each other's back in case Old Man Ego hitches a ride. Remember, enlightenment can come in a flash, but the spiritual path is generally a long one about slowly developing positive qualities, just as diamonds are formed by constant force within the earth. Take your time, enjoy the ride, as much as you can and remember even after the big E there are still the dishes!

In keeping with the advice, may any benefit gained in the writing of this article go to the benefit of all beings everywhere and, to be extra safe, may the merit obtained by sharing this merit go to all sentient beings too!

Footnote: Let Jeremy explain his title: "Bob the Buddha is a phrase that was coined by my daughters about a year ago now...when their friend had a Bob the Builder plate. Never having heard of a builder but having more than the usual amount of exposure to Buddha icons, they thought he had said Buddha. So henceforth the cartoon is Bob the Buddha for us! "