Friday, December 21, 2007

Daily Dharma: Our Worst Enemy is Delusion


Today's Daily Dharma from Tricycle:

Our Worst Enemy is Delusion

Shantideva characterizes the hold our delusions have over us as follows:

"Although my enemies of hatred, attachment and so forth have neither weapons, legs nor arms, still they harm and torture me and treat me like a slave."

According to the dharma our worst enemy is delusion. This refers to any mental factor that disturbs and harms our peaceful mind. If we wish to be free of all suffering we must be able to identify the various delusions and understand how they harm us. Generally we all try to be aware of our external enemies but we pay scant heed to the inner enemies infecting our own mind. If we do not recognize the delusions and see how they harm us, how can we overcome our suffering? Buddha identified the six root delusions that poison our mind as following: (1) attachment, (2) anger, (3) pride, (4) ignorance, (5) deluded doubt and (6) wrong views.

~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Meaningful to Behold; from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle booked edited by Jean Smith.


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