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Great Compassion 1 - Southern Transmission No 4 30th Nov
*The false self does not truly exist, but the illusion of self—the mistaken belief that we are an independent entity made up of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness—needs to be dissolved. That illusion is like a shell that isolates us from the world; love is the means to “pierce” that shell, yet 90–99% of our efforts fail, making the self even thicker and more lonely. True love begins with “looking deeply”—to look carefully and deeply into the suffering, difficulties, and aspirations of others in order to understand, instead of possessing or causing them harm.
*Recognizing the value in each other—like parents seeing the musical talent in their child—helps people “blossom”; on the contrary, denying someone’s qualities is a great source of suffering. True love is not to cling to a single “root” but to nourish many different roots so that when impermanence comes, if one root is severed, we can still stand firm. This avoids the tragedy of “one root” that leads to despair, as in the story of the young lovers who committed suicide.
*True miraculous power is “the miracle of transformation”—the miracle that arises from mindful breathing and mindful steps on the earth. Each step, each mindful breath is a miracle, completely different from supernatural transformation or mind-reading; it is the path of practicing mindfulness, concentration, and insight, leading us to liberation.