Opening the Heart (Yeshe 1987)
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Description
No abstract given. Here are the first relevant paragraphs:
So far the spiritual path has been described in terms of our own fulfillment. As we realize that our accustomed way of relating to desirable objects has been keeping us trapped in a circle of perpetual dissatisfaction, we become more and more motivated to activate a deeper level of our being. Our purpose is to experience a type of peace and happiness that is stable and reliable, unruffled by changing circumstances and uninfluenced by the passage of time. But even this higher aspiration to win release from the frustrating cycle of desire and dissatisfaction is still incomplete. Why? Because it is primarily concerned with only our own welfare.
Before, perhaps, our desires were limited to the possession of sensory objects, while now - through the development of some renunciation - they are directed towards the realization of our deepest potential. But the emphasis still remains, 'I want this, I don't want that.'
This narrow concern for our own happiness and our own liberation makes it impossible for us to realize the vast potential of our human mind and heart. Such self-centred concern values the welfare of just one being - myself - over the welfare of the countless others who share life's problems with us. This extremely restricted view inevitably causes our heart to close. Then, even if we do not say so consciously, it is as if we feel, 'I am the most important person in the world. The problems that others have are of no concern to me; it is only my own happiness that counts.'
Citation
Yeshe, Thubten. "Opening the Heart." In Introduction to Tantra: A Vision of Totality, edited by Jonathan Landaw, 57–67. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1987.
