Where you are at with practice

In prison Khenpo Münsel Rinpoche taught me this:
‘The extent of your realization will be known when you encounter difficult circumstances.
You will not know the extent of your realization when things go well.’ When you find yourself
in a troublesome situation, when you are in great pain, when an intense emotion arises,
only then will you know where you are at with practice.

He added:
‘Adverse circumstances will reveal your hidden faults.’ If you are able to hold awareness unwaveringly during such a time, and thus if you are not carried away by the force of the emotion, it is a sign that you have gained experience in practice.
~Garchen Rinpoche