"Our minds are vast and profound. This innate wisdom is known as 'basic goodness.' It is the natural, clear, uncluttered state of our being . . . Basic goodness, the shimmering brilliance of our being, is as clear as a mountain lake. But we're not certain about our own goodness. We begin to stray from it as soon as we wake up in the morning, because our mind is unstable and bewildered . . . The magnet of 'What about ME?' draws away windhorse - our ability to bring about success - and our mind becomes very small . . . Virtue is practical, not moralistic. It consists of cultivating thoughts, words, and actions that will help move us out of the 'me' plan . . . We have more space in our mind, and our view gets bigger. We begin to see our inherent richness, the brilliance that's been hiding behind the clouds of stress and anxiety. The nature of our mind is pure, like the sky. Like space, it has a quality of accommodation. Like water, it is clean, with no obstructions or opinions. This is basic goodness, the indestructible nature of our being . . . It is the idea of 'me' which keeps us from seeing our own basic goodness. The disease of 'me' is the root of all disease."
Sakyong Mipham,
Tibetan Buddhist teacher
Photo: Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers, Bradley and Taggart Lakes, and the Jackson Hole area; Grand Teton National Park, WY; July 7, 2013
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