[1] Truth: ‘Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it, all that is not gold.’ (Tolstoy). We all already have ‘pure gold’ within, not from without, but we need to refined it from defilements, for our Buddha-nature to shine.
[2] Words: ‘Puppets… They get to say the things we can’t say.’ What should be said remains what should be said, in one way or another, but always ensure it truly should be said, for the betterment of one and all. Otherwise, stay silent.
[3] Monster: ‘Eric [the puppet and/or alter ego] is a monster… Eric is that which we fear… He’s the shadow that lurks behind us all or lies under the bed. But he is also you. And you and you and all of us. He is the very best and the very worst of all of us. He’s the monster that walks with us side by side. He’s the monster that… every child wants when they are lost and need to be found.’ Befriend your ‘Eric’ to be fearless. Shed light to purge him from the darkness. Make him less monstrous, a protector.
[4] Payback: ‘Deal with the devil… Devil always wants paying back.’ When you dance with ‘the devil’, even if it seems pleasant for a while, it is a matter of time, when you will be tripped by him, and badly too, since he is a demon king.
[5] Blindness: ‘Those who close their eyes are truly blind.’ Those who open their eyes will truly see. If we do not live according to truth, how can we truly attain True Happiness?
[6] What To Be: ‘Be good. Be kind. Be brave. Be different.’ Be different from those indfifferent, who are not good, not kind, not brave and not wise. Otherwise, how are you different from one of the senseless crowd?
[7] Rise Again: ‘Fall down seven [times]. Get up eight [times].’ For that worthy worth standing up for and walking towards, even if you have fallen for the nth time, you just have to rise one more time, each time.
[8] You: ‘You keep blaming everyone else. But look in the mirror. The real monsters ain’t under the bed… it’s you.’ The real monster is the nearest yet hardest to face, the very one you have been living with since birth.
[9] Change: ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’ (Tolstoy) If we cannot even change ourselves, how can we change the rest of the world? The world is first changed by those who change themselves, as they themselves are the most immediate parts of the world.
[10] Better Me: ‘It’s “me.” I’m the toxic thing.’ The ‘self’ clung to deludedly is that toxic, the literal ‘self-saboteur’. It is only with adequate self-reflection and remedial action that we can better ourselves and thus the world at large. ‘Please do better.’
