[silverlightning]

This is the ego Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche talked about. It shows it self on the individual plane as well as the collective. All social systems, religions, different political movements are collective expressions of ego. Advanced thought systems designed to protect against suffering and pains of whatever kind; generated out of some kind of fear.

This armour built and rebuilt for centuries, easily generates oppositions, victims, violence, search for power, an endless chain reaction.

One of Trungpa's challenging exercises was daring to feel other peoples pain, taking it in, without defence or armour, and change it to something else. I think the monks who practised this kind of spiritual alchemy called it Tung Len, and perceived themselves as a kind of spiritual warrior.

It's a very long time since WW2, slave-trade, the pain persisting is old, but how it acts upon every individual is very much in the here and know. To transform this pain involves daring to meet your own thoughts, feelings, actions with honesty and directness as well as others. If you ever try this approach do it with some what who know it; opening your heart can be a very overwhelming experience.