Ego-mind gets cold feet when true opportunity knocks,
For its greatest dread arrives when we even slightly incline toward Self.
Best to be practical, it says,
As it clutches this dream-world all the more.
Or it may launch into spiritual prestensions,
Seeking to escape its alloted share of pain.
Yet where else would the key to our inner treasure be,
But somewhere among our intertwined joys and sufferings?