The only source of every kind of benefit for others is awareness of our own condition. When we know how to help ourselves and how to work with our situation we can really benefit others, and our feeling of compassion will arise spontaneously, without the need for us to hold ourselves to the rules of behaviour of any given religious doctrine.

What do we mean when we say, becoming aware of our own true condition? It means observing ourselves, discovering who we are, who we believe we are, and what our attitude is towards others and to life. If we just observe the Limits, the mental judgments, the passions, the pride, the jealousy, and the attachments with which we close ourselves up in the course of one single day, where do they arise from, what are they rooted in? Their source is our dualistic vision, and our conditioning. To be able to help both ourselves and others we need to overcome all the limits in which we are enclosed. This is the true function of the teachings.

Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche

from the book Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State

source: https://www.shambhala.com/snowlion_articles/dzogchen-the-self-perfected-state/


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Further quotes from the book Dzogchen:

• A state of total presence
• Observing our conditioning first
• Dont confuse any culture or tradition with the teachings themselves
• Integrating one’s practice with one’s life
• The mistaken dualistic mind
• We can’t ignore our reality
• Just another concept
• The supreme path for that person
• The Six Vajra Verses