Our demeanour
…says much about us
The manner in which we conduct ourselves – our behaviour – reveals an underlying message. Even animals can pick this up: we are all very sensitive, sentient beings. Our superimposed ideas cloud perception, and dull this sensitivity.
Just our demeanour can make others feel at ease, and we do not have to say a word. This is not an act: if it was an act, as sensitive beings we would – and do – pick this up. An act will be inconsistent.
As Anam Thubten said, “The question to ask ourselves is, ‘Am I on the right track?’ ” (spiritually, that is). This question, in itself, indicates an open heart, a willingness to connect, a feeling of the situation.
What is this right track? The right track is true compassion and empathy, which shows in our demeanour. The mind wants to put things right. The heart just is: nothing fancy. Pure and simple.
We can gauge our demeanour by our capacity for compassion and empathy: merely by wanting to gauge, we are on the right track.
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. We are all Buddhas in the mud of concepts. 
Hello Tony
Demeanour is a tricky one isn’t it? Our demeanour is something that only WE can judge. We can’t make assumptions about others by perceiving their demeanour – so many people who consider themselves to be spiritual acquire a carefully crafted persona/demeanour to present themselves as pure, genuine practitioners but as you say, they aren’t able to hide the cracks that show after a time.
I was once a student of an Indian guru who used to give his students ‘prasad’ (blessed food): we used to queue up to receive this from him, and it wasn’t until years after I left that I discovered that all the young, beautiful, pure pure pure students (of whom I was in awe) used to fight to get to the front of the queue before the old, ugly, low students had contaminated the prasad!! LMAO
All that glitters is not gold.
I remember my niece telling me that she had a friend who meditated and who was so calm and peaceful and gentle…with the implication that he was a proper practitioner, unlike me 😉
Oh, we’ve got to laugh haven’t we?!! (at ourselves I mean).
Daisy
Hello DaisyMae,
Trungpa Rinpoche wrote a very insightful book called…”Spiritual Materialism”.
Spirituality can be used as a weapon or defence mechanism,
instead of compassionate clarity. It is interesting and limiting to claim …”I work from the heart!”, dismissing clarity or reasoning as an intrusion.
All that claims compassion,
isn’t necessarily compassionate.
Tony