“…Unmasking the nature of shenpa [attachment] and self-importance places us on the path to peace.

To expose shenpa to our intelligence means to bring it out of the hidden, dark corner of our minds and bring it into the light of our awareness. The key in this process is to look at our habits, impulses, and emotions without judgment. You can call this confession practice because you are accepting the more challenging aspects of mind, rather than trying to hide or manipulate them; you can call it courage; you can call it being honest— whatever you label it, it has a freeing quality. The underlying pain of shenpa begins to melt like ice when exposed to the warmth of our awareness. Acceptance replaces the struggle of rejection and indulgence. Appreciation for the true character of our minds grows.

The main attitude on the path to peace is to accept whatever our experience brings. When we speak of not indulging or not suppressing, it doesn’t mean we don’t use our discriminating intelligence. It simply means we are not reacting from a vague or fearful state where the intelligence is enslaved by our hopes and fears.” ~from Light Comes Through by Dzigar Kongtrul.

“The saddest thing about the whole situation is that we seem to suffer from Stockholm’s Syndrome, or the fear of freedom. We are so enslaved, so bound to this self-importance that we cling to the ignorance that sustains it. Before we can ever hope to make any real progress toward freedom we must be willing to accept ourselves completely; even the part of us that holds us hostage. That is the curious twist; we are both prisoner and guard!” ~from The 84 lb Dancing Dog & the Enslavement of our True Self by Ben Riggs

Pema further explains the concept of shenpa and how to work with it in meditation…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGrPz9fQWI8

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