The nature of emotional pride and how to deal with it
When Lama Thubten Yeshe, together with Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, established the FPMT organization they explored the idea that different individuals require different approaches.
Lama Yeshe had a remarkable ability to convey Tibetan Buddhist teachings in a way that Western students could understand and relate to. Even today, his teachings continue to deeply resonate with students.
This lesson is featured in the book Knowledge-Wisdom: The Peaceful Path to Liberation by LYWA, which can be obtained in various formats.
The essence of feeling proud is that it makes you walk with arrogance, refusing to acknowledge what is in front of you or humbling yourself. The remedy for this is to perform prostrations.
When we mention prostrations, we are not referring solely to prostrating to the Buddha. According to Shantideva, we can also show reverence to all living beings by acknowledging that their minds possess an innate purity that is equal to that of an enlightened being.
Additionally, it is not necessary to perform full-length or five-point physical prostrations. If you were to suddenly go down on the sidewalk in a busy city street, it would cause alarm.
Instead, you can engage in mental prostrations. It is important to remember that there are three ways to prostrate: with the body, speech, and mind.
The Buddha was wise and provided us with methods for every situation.
So, even if you find yourself on a crowded street and wish to make prostrations, rather than attracting attention by physically performing them, you can simply do so mentally.
