A TIBETAN STORY illustrates the lack of connection between intellectual knowledge and ingrained habit, and the difficulty we have putting the fruits of our meditation into practice: A monk once asked one of his brother monks, “What are you up to these days?” and the friend replied, “I’ve been doing a lot of meditation on equanimity and patience.” Then the first monk said, “Well, big patience meditator guy, eat shit!” His friend immediately got upset and retorted angrily, “You eat shit yourself!” This shows how we so often are. Meditation on patience is supposed to stop anger, but when the monk tested his friend, the meditator got upset at the slightest provocation. He hadn’t integrated the idea of patience with his mind.
Lama Yeshe, When the Chocolate Runs Out
“When you’re blind to your own nature, the Buddha is an ordinary being. When you’re aware of your own nature, an ordinary being is the Buddha.”
~ Huineng