Liberation from the Religion of Self — Perhaps the World Feels Heavy Because You’re Standing Too Much at the Center

Our Inner One-Person Show

We may all be followers of a “religion of self,” revering the self as its guru and blindly believing its teachings.

Before we know it, a grand story begins in our minds.

“What did that person really mean by that comment?” “Am I being properly appreciated?”

We are the scriptwriter, director, lead actor, and even the audience.

When everything is interpreted in relation to ourselves, the world begins to take on the color of “my story.”

When the self stands, the world becomes heavy

Placing ourselves at the center of the world may seem, at first, to make life more vivid and meaningful.

But when that color becomes too intense, it turns into a weight called “seriousness.”

The more the “self” stands, the more problems appear. The more we focus on “me,” the longer and heavier time feels. Each time we interpret everything as personal, the mind becomes exhausted.

As the guru, I search for the perfect interpretation. As the devoted follower, I believe the story without question, swinging between hope and worry.

Turning point: Without fighting, simply step out of the seat

To step out of this loop, there is no need to dissolve the religion of self. There is no need to deny yourself.

Just gently step out of your seat.

“Ah, the sermon of the religion of self has started again.”

Noticing this, we quietly leave the front row of the drama, as if stepping into the lobby.

From a distance, we look at the stage— empty of both guru and follower.

Then we begin to see a landscape that is no longer filtered through “me,” just as it is.

The overwhelming stillness of a centerless world

What opens when the gravity of “me” dissolves is a centerless world—just the landscape itself.

Events simply happen.

Words simply sound.

Even thoughts arise and fade.

Waves simply come and go.

There is no pride to defend, no correctness to prove.

When we take a break from being the protagonist and return to being just a part of the scenery, the world regains its natural harmony.

It is a quiet, gentle freedom.

Today, would you gently step out of the seat of your story and feel the world just as it is?

Spring had arrived. 

When I gently stepped out of my seat in the “religion of self” and went for a walk, 

I noticed vivid flowers blooming in my neighborhood.

Words and Photo by K E I K O