Imperfections are part of the display of life. Joy and sorrow, birth and death are the dance of existence throughout which our awakened consciousness can shine. Yet we long for perfection. The perfect partner, house, job, boss, and spiritual teacher. And when we find them, we want them to stay that way forever, never to lose the glow, never to grow old, never to have the roof sag, the paint peeling. We’re also taught to seek perfection in ourselves. Novelist Florida Scott Maxwell writes, “No matter how old a mother is, she looks at her middle-age children for signs of improvement.” You are told that if you do enough therapy, work out at the gym, eat an especially healthy diet, watch documentaries on TV, manage your cholesterol, and meditate enough, you will become more perfect.
You are perfectly yourself. The gifts you seek of love and compassion are not in faraway lands. They are always here waiting for you…So forget the tyranny of perfection. The point is not to perfect yourself. It is to perfect your love. Let your imperfections be an invitation to care. Remember that imperfections are deliberately woven into Navajo rugs and treasured in the best Japanese pottery. They are part of the art. What a relief to honor your life as it is, in all its beauty and imperfection.
Excerpt from The Tyranny of Perfection by Jack Kornfield
I have a small book with quotes relating to Buddhism, written by Jack Kornfield, it’s very good as are his insights to “Imperfections” and the importance of how we perceive these images, Nicely Done!
Jack Kornfield is Amazing! as the saying goes an expert / master makes it look easy! Jack illustrates that, by taking on deep Buddhist scriptures and translating them into easy to comprehend English version – i’m a big fan of his. Thank You! for your comment