Note: The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Tomo Geshe Rinpoche to Lama Govinda, the author of The Way of the White Clouds…

As long as we regard ourselves superior to others or look down upon the world, we cannot make any real progress [on the spiritual path]. As soon, however, as we understand that we live in exactly that world which we deserve… we shall recognize the faults of others as our own —though they may appear in different form. It is our own karma that we live in this “imperfect” world, which in the ultimate sense is our own creation. This is the only attitude which can help us to overcome our difficulties, because it replaces fruitless negation by an impulse towards self-perfection, which not only makes us worthy of a better world, but partners in its creation.

Tomo Gehse Rinpoche
from The Way of the White Clouds