In short, afflictive emotions only have the power that you give to them. Rather than indulging in them again and again, be rid of them once and for all, and then liberation will be near at hand. To succeed, you are going to have to summon up strong determination. Otherwise, your teacher’s instructions will not be able to help you much, and your practice will lead nowhere. The teacher can guide you toward enlightenment, but cannot actually hurl you there like throwing a stone into the sky. He shows you the way, but it is up to you to follow it. Since your emotions are all-powerful, you must confront them with equally powerful antidotes. To get rid of a poisonous tree, you have to uproot it. Just pruning a few branches is not enough. In the same way, unless you uproot the emotions, they will just grow again, more vigorous than ever.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most
translated by Padmakara Translation Group
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Further quotes from the book The Hundred Verses of Advice:
- Overcoming obstacles
- Without settling anywhere
- Precious human life
- Dreamlike obsessions
- The right moment is now
- The union of clarity and emptiness
- Right here beside you
- Like the events in a dream
- Don’t go on following the past
- You will have to go
- The faults within
- The choice is clear
- When you reach the threshold of death
- Have you prepared yourselves a boat
- Putting down the heavy burden once and for all
- The freedom to practice the Dharma
- Free of being caught by anything at all
- Abandon negative friendships
- Being near a spiritual teacher
- Three essential points