The Tibetan word for Buddhism, nangpa, has the meaning of internalizing, indicating that we need to turn inward and work within ourselves. By doing so and gaining a clearer sense of who we really are, we develop a sense of our existence as it relates to all that surrounds us. If we look outside and try to figure out what is out there based on confused mental projections, we will never recognize who we are. What is fundamentally true is that the experience of pain or pleasure is not so much what is happening externally as it is what is happening internally: the experience of pain or pleasure is mainly a state of mind. Whether we experience the world as enlightened or confused depends on our state of mind.

3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche

source: http://tsurphu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81%3Aawakened-heart-brilliant-mind&catid=31%3Aintroduction-to-buddhism&Itemid=161&lang=en


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