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
- Just Love
- My trust is a gift
- Our life is vast
- Making healthy relationships possible
- Authentic love
- Interdependent reality
- Boxing Love with Our Expectations
- We truly have everything we need already
- Look what he did
- Balanced Life
- Who are you
- Let the moon be the keeper of my love
- Distinguishing between wants and needs
- Breaking barriers
- Expanding our sense of ourselves
- Take joy in your sincere intentions
- We need space to grow and learn from our own mistakes
- Facing Impermanence Wisely
- Greed is a recipe for dissatisfaction