WSW 9: Physical Pain, Mental Suffering

Verses 10-11

Recap 

In our discussion of the text Wheel of Sharp Weapons, we have spoken about how we need to change our attitude about self and others. We’ve seen that this attitude of cherishing ourselves – which means to consider ourselves the most precious, the most important, and we want to only take care about our own problems – is the cause of all of our unhappiness, and suffering, and difficulties. Whereas if we cherish others and consider them as the most precious the most important and think to take of their needs as the most crucial thing to do, then this is the cause for all happiness. So, we need to switch who it is that we cherish. Rather than cherishing ourselves, we cherish others. We saw that this cherishing of ourselves is based on grasping at ourselves as a person to be truly existent, independent, autonomous, and the most important one in the world, the center of the universe. It’s only when we have this conception of ourselves as being a solid, autonomous, independent entity that we then think that that entity, “me,” is the most important, and then we cherish that one and think to only take care of ourselves.

Top