Today, after walking out of a customer’s home, I got in my van and was prepared to leave. There, on the windshield, was a ladybug (not squashed, it had landed there while I was parked, and was still alive). Yeah, big deal right? Well this was no ordinary ladybug, this one was there to remind me of a quote I’ve been pondering alot lately. And that quote is…
“Never think that you will be able to settle your life down by practicing the Dharma. The Dharma is not therapy. In fact, it is just the opposite. The purpose of the Dharma is to really stir up your life. It is meant to turn your life upside down. If that is what you asked for, why complain? If it is not turning your life upside down, on the other hand, the Dharma is not working. That kind of Dharma is just another one of these New Age methods; the Dharma should really disturb you.”
– Dzonsar Khyentse Rinpoche, from “Entrance to the Great Perfection”
I’m not superstitious, but today being Friday the 13th (woooo) I saw it as an “omen” of sorts. In the way that, I should constantly be reminding myself that this whole Dharma thing is not some fluffy cloud, not some beautiful path lined with scented flowers.
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