When we gaze out through our own window of grasping at “me” and “mine”, we experience everything as if it were being projected onto our personal frame of perception, like a movie projected onto a screen. Just as when we are watching a movie, if we observe a happy moment, our heart soars, and if there is a sad moment, we at once feel low.

This grasping at “me” and “mine” restricts our view of ourselves. It also severely impacts how we connect to others. It prevents us from seeing the numberless wholesome connections that truly link us to others. We end up relating to the world as if it were separate from us, something out there projected on a screen for our consumption. I am not presenting a philosophical view here. I am trying to describe what it feels like to experience the world this way. As we look out through our window, we feel attachment and aversion. We accept or reject what we see projected on the screen. This emotional push and pull forms a major component of how we relate to others.

17th Karmapa

from the book The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out

translated by Ngodup Tsering Burkhar & Damchö Diana Finnegan


Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.

Further quotes from the book The Heart Is Noble:

• There are no fixed starting points
• Expanding our sense of ourselves
• Our life is vast
• Open-minded
• Greed is a recipe for dissatisfaction
• Balanced Life
• Distinguishing between wants and needs
• Disconnected from our own noble heart
• Boxed limitless potential
• A noble vision
• My trust is a gift
• The intention to work for others
• Look what he did
• Loving Responsibility
• Making healthy relationships possible
• Authentic love
• Facing Impermanence Wisely
• The kindness we receive from others
• Our relationship to the material world
• We truly have everything we need already