“Always scrutinize your own shortcomings. Ignore the faults of other people. Keep this attitude: ‘Whether they are pure or impure, it is none of my business!’ Be your own teacher; keep a strict check on yourself. That is sufficient.”
--Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920-1996)
I am always struggling with this, always trying not to be offended by what others do, but know, deep down, that as others make mistakes, aren’t good hosts or guests, are inconsiderate drivers, or don’t live up to my expectations in many ways, that I am just as bad, and probably worse. To someone else I am the inconsiderate driver or guest, the irascible host, the brusque clerk, the impatient shopper standing in a long line at the register.
My blog posts, then, are for my own benefit, so that I can learn to mind my own business, to recognize and try to improve my own shortcomings and faults, and to help others the best I can. No one is perfect. As Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche said about the traits and motives of others, whether pure or not: “It is none of my business!”
