Question: How can we force our ego to surrender?

Sri Chinmoy: If you force your ego to surrender, it will not help. You can force your son to swim in the swimming pool when the water is very cold. You can throw him into the water, but at that time you will become his enemy. So when the ego has to be illumined you can’t force anything. You can’t force your surrender, purity or security. It is only through gradual progress that these will come. If you want to develop your muscles by doing forty push-ups in one day, then you will die. Forcing is absolutely prohibited.

In the spiritual life it is the inner awakening that enables the ego to surrender. If you force anything, it will only become worse. It will not only destroy the outer capacity that you have, but it will also stand in the way when you try to create new capacity. So do not force. Only try to illumine the ego through constant aspiration.