“As a solid rock cannot be moved by the wind, the wise are not shaken by praise or blame.” ~ Buddha from The Dhammapada
I love this one. Reminds of Deepak and don Miguel Ruiz and Emptiness and Rorschach blobs.
First, Deepak. One of the coolest mantras I’ve ever learned: “I am totally independent of the good or bad opinion of others.” I’ve said that thousands and thousands of times. Totally transformed my consciousness. Try it if you find yourself too easily swayed by the compliments or criticisms of those in your life.
Don Miguel Ruiz. You read his brilliant Four Agreements? His 2nd Agreement: “Don’t Take Anything Personally. Nothings others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”
And, finally, Emptiness and Blobs. Just know this: someone’s opinion of you says a LOT more about THEM than about you. Another concept in Buddhism (that isn’t in The Dhammapada but is relevant here) is the idea of “emptiness.” The world is empty of meaning except that which we give it. It’s kinda like a Rorschach test—you know, those psychology tests where you look at an ink blob and tell the therapist what you see. Well, what you see has NOTHING to do with the blob and EVERYTHING to do with you. :)
Same here. How someone sees you has to do with THEM. Not you. (Same goes for how anyone sees ANYTHING. Rain can make some people dance naked with joy and others curse the terrible weather. It. Is. All. Empty. You get to pick your meaning. :) )
So, the next time someone gets pissy with you or critical of you or whateva’, just remember they’re telling you more about their issues than yours. And, be like a rock—not shaken by EITHER praise OR blame.
“It is easy to see the faults of others…it is hard to see our own…”
More Mojo from The Dhammapada
How to create the greatest year of your life: Get inspired by the Big Ideas from The Dhammapada (+ 99 (!) other great books) conveniently packaged in a 6-page PDF + a ~20-minute MP3. All for 49 bucks. Sweet deal, eh? Sign up now and get your wisdom on!
|
PhilosophersNotes on The Dhammapada by Buddha | |||||
send
print
| << Buddha : How’s the Irrigation? | Menu | Buddha : Self-Mastery >> |
