The Prison of Ego or Dualism

To describe the state of existence in which most human live out their entire lives, Chodron creates the metaphor of a prison cell, the walls of which are built from out illusions about reality. We build these illusory walls with the help of the three Lords of Materialism. The Lord of Form is addiction to externals and often can be recognized as the concept of indulging in instant pleasure while sacrificing long-term happiness. Addictions, even those we might feel benign, fall into this category.

The Lord of Speech tricks us by instilling in us the illusion of certainty. Existence is in a constant state of flux, and clinging to an illusion of certainty is one of the principle ways of suppressing this perhaps unsettling knowledge. Many religious and political structures are based on the Lord of Speech.

The Lord of Mind tricks us...