The "True View"

Wrong views and wrong convictions can be the most devastating of all our delusions. Surely Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot must have been convinced that they were right too? And yet each and every one of us has the same dangerous tendency as they had: to form convictions, believe in them without question, and act on them, so bringing down suffering not only on ourselves but on all those around us.
    On the other hand, the heart of Buddha’s teaching is to see “the actual state of things, as they are,” and this is called the true View. It is a view that is all-embracing, as the role of spiritual teachings is precisely to give us a complete perspective on the nature of mind and reality.

Glimpse After Glimpse

Sogyal Rinpoche

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The other guy is greedy; the other guy is lazy; the other guy is a liar; the other guy is a bigot; the other guy is a sexist; the other guy is ruining the environment; the other guy wants a police state; the other guy so on and on… when am I going to look inside and see that the other guy is me? When am I going to cease this nonsense of demonizing others who, for the most part, only wish to get along in life with as little hardship as possible? Am I really looking with a true view uncluttered with my own convictions? Am I more against things than I am for things? Neither for nor against; am I able to observe objectively? Most agree on the problem because that is the easiest to see. We run to one simplistic answer to the problem and argue about the solution. Most of the time, we jump to conclusions based on emotion and our preconceived convictions, villainizing those in opposition to our side. Though I might never agree the opinions of another, there can be no understanding until I can look into my own heart to uncover compassion for my own shortcomings and blindness. I must do this in order to transfer that same compassion to my perceived enemies.

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