Even the Sacred Can Sometimes Be a Trap

Even the sacred can sometimes be a trap of ego and become an obstacle for true inner liberation. This is also taught in the Dzogchen teachings on the nature mind, such as those by Longchenpa, who said that our consciousness can be tied in metal chains or golden chains. The metal chains are attachments to ordinary things in life—possessions and negative states of mind. Golden chains are attachments to spiritual experiences, notions of the sacred, and enlightenment. Even extraordinary ideals, such as being a bodhisattva and helping all beings, can be traps if we are attached to them. Such ideals are sublime and inspiring, but if we become attached to them as the virtue of all virtues, they are just another trap.

Excerpt From
Into the Haunted Ground
Anam Thubten
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