Taming
the Tiger
As
human beings there is a great deal of desire and attachment in our lives.
This can cause much suffering, both to ourselves and to others.
If the desire is unfulfilled we become unhappy.
Even when we get what we want the happiness is only temporary,
because invariably a new desire arises to take its place.
Time after time all we are doing is trying to satisfy desires which
are limitless, shapeless and as vast as the sky.
.
. . The mistake is that we expect to find happiness outside oursleves,
failing to realize that it can only come from within.
.
. .what is required is a change in the way we percieve the world.
We have to learn to accept our desire and yet not be driven by it,
only then will we be content with what we already have
instead of constantly wanting more.
Desire
is limitless.
It is said that since the mind has no form and no finite end
then likewise desire has no form, no finite end - it is shapeless,
it just goes on and on.
Only by taming the mind, therefore, can the endless search for gratification
be pacified and our understanding be developed.
At that stage we become a little more mature, a little more grown up.
Akong
Tulku Pinpoche, Taming the Tiger: Tibetan Teachings for Improving
Daily Life,
Rider, London, 1994, p 8-9