Embrace suffering, and you transform your relationship with what causes you to suffer, as well as your relationship with suffering itself.
AdyashantiRead
When we see the world through our thoughts, we stop experiencing life as it really is and others as they really are. When I have a thought about you, that’s something I’ve created. I’ve turned you into an idea. In a certain sense, if I have an idea about you that I believe, I’ve degraded you. I’ve made you into something very small. This is the way of human beings, this is what we do to each other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our perceptions of others are often shaped by our own thoughts and beliefs, limiting our understanding of their true selves.
This quote by Adyashanti highlights the idea that the way we perceive the world and the people around us is heavily influenced by our own thoughts. When we create opinions or judgments about others, we reduce their complexity to a mere idea, thus failing to appreciate their true essence. This tendency to simplify and categorize others can lead to misunderstandings and hinder genuine connections, illustrating a fundamental aspect of human nature that affects our relationships with one another.
Themes
PerceptionThoughtsRelationshipsUnderstandingJudgmentHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on mindfulness, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of seeing others without preconceived notions.
More from Adyashanti
All quotes →If we do not live and manifest in our lives what we realize in our deepest moments of revelation, then we are living a split life.
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Awareness isn’t something we own; awareness isn’t something we possess. Awareness is actually what we are.
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The willingness to not bypass illusion is very important. We come to nirvana by way of samsara. We come to see the true nature of things by seeing through the illusory nature of things. We don't come to nirvana by avoiding samsara. We don't come to clarity by avoiding confusion.
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Our illusions-the beliefs we hold on to-are the very doorways to our freedom. We simply have to enter through them without grasping or pushing away. We must not believe them, but we must not run away from them either. We need to see each moment of apparent bondage as an invitation to freedom. Then it becomes an act of love, an act of compassion, to stop running away.
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Let go of all ideas and images in your mind, they come and go and aren’t even generated by you. So why pay so much attention to your imagination when reality is for the realizing right now?
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