“What You Think You Create. What You Feel You Attract. What You Imagine You Become.” ~Buddha
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~Albert Einstein
“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” –Carl Sagan
New Reel
Here is a new short reel on “What is Divine Pride?” and how it is different from ordinary, arrogant pride.
Divine Pride: Manifesting the Buddha Nature/”Inner Goddess” energy and qualities
Divine pride is very different from ordinary pride. In the Vajrayana secret mantra empowerments and practice, one is “empowered” to visualise oneself as a deity (a fully awakened Buddha appearing as a sambhogakāya deity).
One is also empowered or perhaps one should say “introduced” to the energy of the particular deity by a qualified “friend” Vajra master, who has been empowered previously by a qualified lineage master, and someone who has practised the mantra and visualisation of that deity for a reasonable length of time and recitations. Ideally someone who has accomplished the deity, as in achieved complete integration of the actual diety with one’s body, speech and mind. However, if that is not possible, then at least someone who is approaching the deity.
This is the method secret mantra Vajrayana bringing the result onto the path. The idea is manifesting the result will eventually lead to that actual result. Imagination is everything as Einstein, and many other great thinkers and artists have said! Although in this case, we are not trying to manifest a completely imaginary result or being. The aim is to manifest completely the innate “deity/goddess” qualities, the Buddha Nature within the minds of all sentient beings from the lower to the higher realms. The infinite qualities listed in the Buddha Nature Sutras such as infinite love, compassion, bodhicitta, joy, bliss, wisdom, diligence, patience and so on. So, when one visualises oneself as Tara goddess for example, and recites her mantra and visualises the seed syllable, one “gets in touch” with her particular qualities and energy.
For example, White Tārā in terms of health, healing, long-life, compassion, love, purification and the primordial wisdom. The advice of the Tantras is to take “divine pride” in being that deity and try to maintain an inner awareness and connection with the deity within at all times, or whenever remembering to do so. Until eventually, one no longer needs to “try” to do it, one just is and has completely manifested the deity and effortlessly manifests them at all times.
So divine pride is taking pride in those beautiful, brilliant and beneficial (and sometimes “wrathfully compassionate” qualities of Vajrakilaya or Vajravarahi), that are of great benefit to oneself and others, and are not conditional or connected to one’s own conditional, impermanent body, speech and mind which is dominated and controlled by the three poisons of lust, aversion and ignorance/delusion.
Arrogant, self-centred pride: external beauty, wealth, power, popularity, virtue-signalling and “charity-selfies”
So being proud or arrogant in a worldly way is when one takes pride (and sees oneself as superior to others) due to conditional, impermanent, self-focused and worldly “qualities”. For example, showing off one’s physical beauty, body in the gym, hair, clothes, jewellry, cars, houses, property, the externals as we say. I have lost count of the times I have sat in cafes and watched (mainly women) spend hours taking selfies of themselves to post on social media. Men are not immune from doing this either, depending on the man and his interests!
Even virtuous qualities, such as generosity, like taking “charity selfie” photos giving to “poor people” and posting them on social media for likes and popularity and praise. Virtue-signalling as it is called in contemporary parlance! Or excessive pride in one’s position, power and wealth, or level of education. Although it is no doubt less harmful and better to see “good” conduct and thinking “shown off” for public applause than negative, destructive and angry conduct such as killing and fighting, nonetheless having too much pride in one’s virtue can also be a cause of arrogant pride and delusion, at the expense of others! As the saying goes: “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Meaning that without genuine wisdom, “idiot compassion” and well-meaning intentions can (and do) end in disaster and more issues for the beings one is claiming to be helping, right?
That is not to say we should not be proud or confident about our accomplishments, talents and abilities though. Having a high level education, expertise, artist, musician, singer, doctor, nurse, teacher or great talent, or doing and creating something beneficial for others, are something we can feel proud about, and rejoice in for others (to counteract jealousy).
The crucial point is how much that pride in one’s abilities and accomplishments is focused on oneself, and having people praise and like you in order to get power, money, popularity, fame and sex and so on. How much of it is it about you and pumping up your ego, or about genuinely wanting to benefit and help others too? The latter is about vanity and ironically major insecurity and “inner poverty”.
So arrogant, worldly pride tends to be much more about doing, saying and acquiring things for oneself and for temporary happiness, whereas divine pride is about manifesting and focusing on the innate, inner sacred, wise, beneficial qualities and activities of body, speech and mind of a fully awakened being, that benefits oneself and others.
Pay attention to the energy!
If you don’t believe it, try it. There is a clear “energy” difference between the two. When there is a genuine divine pride, one will not feel defeated, deflated or disappointed when people do not “reward” them with likes, praise, attention etc. Whereas a worldly, arrogant pride thrives on the attention, popularity, praise and external rewards from others. Until we are fully awakened, then of course it is nice to feel valued, loved, applauded and acknowledged but one should not rely on that alone. Because in samsara, such applause, like friendships and relationships, can quickly “turn off” and go sour, due to the lack of real “wisdom” and the self-focus they are generally based on.
Hope that helps! With love from the innate Tārā within.
Music? For the divine pride, You are so Beautiful by Joe Cocker, and for the worldly pride, I, Me, Mine by the Beatles
