Recommended Foundational Teachings

Pain is all about non-acceptance. Sometimes what you truly desire one day, is painful another. We go to movies to feel the emotions of dramatic tension and brokenhearted, other times we dread those feelings. We are always preoccupied with this "wanting" and "not wanting" of sensations and emotions. It is important to always remember who is picking and choosing and acknowledge our true strength lies beyond all of that.

What does it feel like when we cling to the self? When we examine the raw, visceral experience of self-clinging and the suffering it produces, it can be a subtle and vague discomfort with an underlying sense of “I, me and mine." When our ego is challenged, the painful charge of negative emotions that comes alive from that self importance is known as shenpa. Like a sour note that plays throughout the day.

When you make your thoughts and feelings towards others more genuine and sincere, you must aim to let go of the self-importance and self clinging which is present there. Then, regardless how volatile and confused you felt a few minutes before, see how your state of mind changes. When you remove the obstacle of darkness, the light and positive qualities of ones mind come alive immediately without any difficulty.

In the end, the main thing is that we need to become free. People have different problems and issues, but all in all, we all lack freedom. This lack of freedom and feeling stuck that is created by our own mind, is due to the attachments we have towards the world, beings, material objects, ideologies and ultimately towards ourselves.