new fortune.

[feisty_meow.git] / database / fortunes.dat

diff --git a/database/fortunes.dat b/database/fortunes.dat
index 8fd1c4acdde7ea87ba0d7ccf72b9335706b65e54..1d3030f20822a342b6d70d8703cc015f52a2787d 100644 (file)
--- a/database/fortunes.dat
+++ b/database/fortunes.dat
@@ -39407,3 +39407,34 @@ through the rain falling on the ground without conceptual thought.
 virtue through the rainfall of Dharma without conceptual thought.
   -- Gampopa, from "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-fulfilling Gem
      of the Noble Teachings"
+~
+  Psychologists tell us that a strong sense of self is essential to be
+psychologically healthy.  But it seems Buddhism says there is no self.  How
+can we reconcile these two views?
+  When psychologists speak of a sense of "self" they are referring to the
+feeling that oneself is an efficacious person, someone who is self-confident
+and can act in the world.  Buddhists agree that such a sense of self is both
+realistic and necessary.  However, the sense of self that Buddhism says is
+unrealistic is that of a very solid, unchanging, independent "I."  Such a
+self never has and never will exist.  To understand this is to realize
+emptiness.
+  Strange though it may sound, someone may have a psychologically weak sense
+of self that in Buddhist parlance would be considered strong self-grasping.
+For example, a person with poor self-esteem may focus a lot on himself and
+have a strong feeling of the existence of an independent self that is
+inferior, unlovable, and a failure.  From a Buddhist viewpoint, such an
+independent self does not exist, although a conventional self does.
+  --Thubten Chodron, "Buddhism for Beginners"
+~
+We all depend on one another.  For this reason, whenever we act according to
+self-interest, sooner or later our selfish aims are bound to clash with the
+aims of the people we rely upon to accomplish our own goals.  When that
+happens, conflicts will inevitably arise.  As we learn to be more balanced in
+valuing others’ concerns with our own, we will naturally find ourselves
+involved in fewer and fewer conflicts.  In the meantime, it is helpful to
+acknowledge that conflicts are the logical outcome of this combination of
+self-interest and interdependence.  Once we recognize this, we can see that
+conflicts are nothing to feel shocked or offended by.  Rather, we can address
+them calmly and with wisdom.
+  -- Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in "Beyond Anger: How to Hold On to Your
+     Heart and Your Humanity in the Midst of Injustice", Shambhala Publications