Our excuses are simply tactics

Sometimes people say, “I’m not really angry, but this is happening to me and that’s happening to me, and it’s not right.” We can say these words and claim not to be angry while continuing to chew on our resentment. Even the best excuse will not relieve or lessen the pain of a disturbed heart. Our excuses are simply tactics to avoid confronting our self-destructive habits and neuroses. They are methods of self-delusion by which we try to convince ourselves that we don’t have to change. In a sense, making excuses is a way of protecting our confusion from our own wisdom

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche