As Buddha says in the Diamond Cutter Sutra:

“View things compounded from causes
To be like twinkling stars, figments seen with an eye disease,
The flickering light of a butter-lamp, magical illusions,
Dew, bubbles, dreams, lightning, and clouds.”

When I am about to start a lecture in front of a large crowd of people looking up to me for wisdom and insight, I repeat to myself these lines about the fragility of everything and then snap my fingers, the brief sound symbolizing impermanence. This is how I remind myself that I will soon be descending from my current position.

14th Dalai Lama

from the book How to See Yourself As You Really Are

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