Peacock in the Poison Grove Quotes

“I only have one of these and if I give it to someone else, I won’t have it for myself, and I will suffer by not having it.” Such an attitude considers only one’s own happiness and not that of others; it is a diabolical way of thinking. When you are eating food or drinking or even getting dressed, you should not solely enjoy the food, drink, or clothes, but also think with love and compassion of all the living beings who lack these things. You should think about what you can give to truly needy people, and you should restrict your own consumption.”
― Lhundub Sopa, Peacock in the Poison Grove: Two Buddhist Texts on Training the Mind

“Since all the calamities, fears, and sufferings in the world have arisen from self-clinging, what have I to do with that great demon? (BCA 8.134) This means that in this world, we harm each other and experience both physical and mental suffering, especially fear of the many terrifying things inside and outside ourselves. Every aspect of misery and suffering in this world actually arises from the view of a real personal identity, or the egotistic view. It is the devil in the depths of our mind that thinks: “I alone am the best. I alone am to be cherished, respected, and honored. I must be in control. Those who do not agree with me are evil; maybe they should be destroyed. How nice it would be if they did not exist.” Do you have this type of attitude or not? According to ⁄›ntideva, most people in the world do.”
― Lhundub Sopa, Peacock in the Poison Grove: Two Buddhist Texts on Training the Mind

“We are attached to “my body, my self, my mind” and think we deserve to be cherished or loved by everyone, and we get angry or jealous if we are not. This type of thinking comes from a mistaken notion of the self; this is true ignorance, and is the source of everything we have been talking about: impure actions, rebirth, and cyclic existence. This view of a real personal identity creates the selfish, self-cherishing attitude that gives rise to greed, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions.”
― Lhundub Sopa, Peacock in the Poison Grove: Two Buddhist Texts on Training the Mind