Beneath the lies we tell ourselves

In my experience, the delusions that the mind concocts, especially about our selves, are endless. This steady stream of self-criticism is somehow meant to keep us honest and safe, at least according to our egos.

I has reminded of this the other night, in a conversation with my good friend Richard. I was telling him about some of the observations about myself, especially some of the places where I get stuck in romantic relationships. When I was done he paused, smiled at me and then he presented a very compelling case on how good at relationships I am, citing my deep connections with family, friends, and boyfriends and partners.

Richard made his point: despite a few opportunities for improvement in your relationships, don’t let this obscure the bigger truth: you are perfect just the way you are. His words reminded me that the spiritual way is to continue to soften the heart towards one's self and focus on the innate goodness or Buddha nature of all beings, including me. We all tell ourselves these lies...this is a practice of noticing this internal phenomenon and remembering the real truth.