[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Beyond Self Justification

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

January 23, 2008

BEYOND SELF JUSTIFICATION

Negative negativity refers to the philosophies and rationales we use to justify avoiding our own pain. We would like to pretend that these "evil" and "foul-smelling" aspects of ourselves and our world are not really there, or that they should not be there, or even that they SHOULD be there. So negative negativity is usually self-justifying, self-contained. It allows nothing to pierce its protective shell -- a self-righteous way of trying to pretend that things are what we would like them to be instead of what they are.
        This secondary, commenting kind of intelligence of double negativity is very cautious and cowardly as well as frivolous and emotional. It inhibits identification with the energy and intelligence of basic negativity. So let's forget about justifying ourselves, trying to prove to ourselves how good we are.

From "Working with Negativity," in THE MYTH OF FREEDOM and the Way of Meditation, page 94. Shambhala Library edition.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission.

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Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications,  the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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