“Trying to live up to what we would like to be, rather than trying to live what we are is known in the Buddhist tradition as spiritual materialism, which is any approach that provides us with techniques to try to associate with the good, the better, the best—or the ultimately good, the divine.

We pretend to be good, and happy, and as free already. Our confusion becomes a further basis for investigation until we reach a point where there is no answer and not even a question; they both die simultaneously at some point. At that point we tend to give up hope of an answer or of anything whatsoever.

We transcend hope. This hopeless is the essence of crazy wisdom.”

~ Chogyam Trungpa

That’s the heart of elephant. Instead of theistically trying to be some external good, we can relax because our fundamental nature is good stuff. ~ ed.

“It is said that good circumstances are more difficult to deal with than bad ones, because they are more distracting. If you have whatever you could wish for—wealth, a comfortable house, clothing—you should view it all as illusory, like possessions obtained in a dream, rather than feeling compulsive attachment to it.

If someone gets angry with you or threatens you, it is relatively easy to meditate on patience, or if you fall sick, to cope with the sickness. Since such things are causes of suffering, and suffering naturally reminds us of the dharma, in a way it’s easier to integrate these difficult circumstances into your path.”

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

One last quote, one of the key quotes or points in all of Buddha-dharma (dharma just means “teachings”):