Even you Starrman, have the capacity to become selfless. 😉
We humans are far different than animals, even though the evidence of our poisoned, selfish minds doesn't support that statement by and large.
Do you know the nature of your own mind? The mind has no basis that can be pinpointed. The emotions, perceptions, prejudices and so on are not the mind itself but are projections of it. We take these projections as existing without question. Let me ask you this: when you become angry, where does the anger exist? In your mind, of course, but if you train yourself well enough to look directly at the anger as it arises, you will find it has no essence and it can disipate as easily as it arose. Cut off the root of anger and the mind is freed to be more selfless. We all have perpetuated anger over and over that it seemingly has a life of its own. Not so. It only exists so long as we cling to the notion of 'me.' 'Me' is a very shaky concept right from the get go.
*edited for poor spelling*
Originally posted by Squeeky BI think that all of us good, considerate persons do the same and I thank you for being so.
No my 'pearl' isn't covered in mud, I just live each day as it comes hoping that I have made the right decisions the day before!
It was just a bad analogy anyway. But, doesn't it seem plausible that we have a pure nature covered by the mud of ignorance, greed, and anger, or are our shortcomings hardwired in us?