Lojong Slogan 37 ~ Don't make gods into demons

This is part 37 of my series on Lojong~ A Buddhist mind training techniqueWhen we first start to engage with the practice of loving kindness and compassion through the Lojong teachings it seems very practical, gentle and full of wisdom. After some time though, our egos step in the way once again and we find ourselves hiding from the practice as it exposes us and makes us feel vulnerable. We begin to see how mindless we have been in our lives, how blinded to others suffering and it doesn't feel good. We may shrink back from the practice instead of embracing the teachings. Or, we may allow the practice to start feeding that side of ourselves that is firmly rooted in the ego and become more arrogant with the practice.Rather than getting caught up in the feel good part of practicing compassion, remember that we are trying to dissolve the parts of ourselves that need to be better than others, that need to be recognized for the how well we have practiced compassion, and try to be more humble. Loving simply to bring more love into the world; compassion for the sake of creating a more compassionate world. We are a small part in the larger world, and what we do matters. But it matters no more than any other piece. As Acharya Judy Lief says, "We are using our attachment to our superficial version of the dharma [the practice of lojong] to destroy what true dharma is all about. It is turning a god into a demon."