Loving Kindness for Ourself

In certain philosophical systems in India during the time of the Buddha, it was believed that if the body was tortured enough, abused enough, the spirit would soar free and be liberated. Nowadays most of us are not inclined to torture our bodies to free our spirits. However, we do seem to have our own variation of that theme by believing that if we abuse our minds enough with self-hatred and self condemnation, somehow that abuse will be a path that liberates us.

For a true spiritual transformation to flourish, we must see beyond this tendency to mental self-flagellation.

Sharon Salzberg
from Loving-Kindness; The Revolutionary Art of Happiness