You know, last year, they had Sufi dancing at Vajrapani Institute.  I did not get a chance to see it, but it is interesting. Sufism is, also, another religion, but it is just the same idea.  You know, love.  It is, talking about love, too. It is a branch from the Islam, but it is always the same thing in the end.  You understand? Eventually, at the end, it is the same thing.

The essence is really to be able to love oneself. The essence is to be able to love oneself plus to able to love the one that is near you, to be able to love whoever you are sharing with.

I mean, we are sharing. First, we are sharing the space. We are sharing the earth, right? We are sharing the air we breathe.  We share the sun. We are sharing so many things like that. Just stop for a moment.  Think of all the things we share.  We share food. You know.  What else?  Think about it.

So, life is about sharing. I mean, we do share. It is a beautiful, beautiful process of learning. It is a beautiful process of growth.  For me, at least from my point of view, I think, without sharing, it is difficult to really live. Life is really about that.

Even if you check in the teachings, in Dharma, they say, they talk about Bodhicitta, compassion. You start with compassion with oneself, but, if you think about it, if you are just alone, if you are the only sentient being, it is difficult to reach enlightenment.  This is according to the scriptures.

If you are all alone, how do you practice Bodhicitta?  If you are all alone, where do you practice compassion.  Where do you practice patience? Where do you practice humility? There is no one with whom you can have an exchange.  There is no one with whom you can put into practice these qualities.

So, it is thanks to all other mother sentient beings that we can practice and improve. It is a group thing, you see.  We all support and help each other in every aspect even though we are not aware of it.

That is why we are completely inter-dependent. It is a complex thing, but it is like we are a big family. I think, when we have the big vision, the larger vision, it is easier, also, to relax about oneself because, if you check, there is no, “I.”

Sometimes, we are a little bit too uptight, a little bit too self-aware, a little bit too impatient. There are many, many aspects that become an issue in our life because we are not aware of the bigger picture.  The less self-centered you are, the easier it is to be happy.

You know what I mean?