Padmasambhava says that when you throw a stick at a dog, the dog will run after the stick. When you throw a stick at a lion, the lion will chase you. The lion keeps its gaze fixed on the source—the one who throws the stick. The dog’s gaze follows the object, the stick. In the same way, the source of our experience is our own mind…
The emotion of anger, for example, is a “stick”…
A mind that functions beyond confused and fluctuating emotions develops a stable and awakened inner gaze that penetrates through the chaos of thoughts.
Sherab, P. & Dogyal, T. (1998). The Lion’s Gaze
It seems that everything comes down to where we direct our attention. Like a flashlight on a dark night, the direction of our attention determines what we see and notice—and what remains invisible to us. Usually, the last thing we think of is to turn that light inward, toward our own mind. Instead, our mind turns outward, toward things—people and events in the external world. We first see the stick, and without realizing it, we are already running after it.
I am reminded of Jung’s well-known thought:
“The one who looks outward dreams; the one who looks inward awakens.”
C. G. Jung
When we begin to direct our attention inward, we discover the one who keeps tossing us about in the sea of our emotional reactions. And that is where we discover our power. We become lions. We look directly into the eyes of the one from whom desires arise—and we stop running after the sticks he throws us.
This is one of the most beautiful stories I have come across that explains the nature of projection—a concept of immense importance, both for understanding the psychology of human relationships and for grasping the essence of spiritual awakening.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
