I Should Hate Myself…But I Don’t!

We may find that we cannot – or do not want to – conform others’ standard. They may feel threatened by this. We don’t even have to say anything; we are just not one of them.

Because of this, we could feel that we are ‘wrong’ in some way. Also (spiritually speaking) the way we think of our mistaken self identity could make us feel wrong. Hence: “I should hate myself.”

I should hate myself?! Our confused state is our path. Those who conform love themselves as they feel safe in their playground.

Some of us are not ‘group think’ people, and we shouldn’t hate ourselves for that.

Maybe some worry more 😀 !
“You won’t get to heaven by worrying!”
Perhaps some aren’t meant for heaven…
Bodhisattvas aren’t.*

We all have to start somewhere
with an aspiration to help.
We all need a doorway to start our journey out of the group think.

This is the final paragraph from an article by Kosho Uchiyama in Tricycle (an online magazine about Buddhism):

“It’s not enough just to know the definition of bodhisattva. What’s much more important is to study the actions of a bodhisattva and then to behave like one yourself.

Regarding the question “What is a bodhisattva?” you could also define a bodhisattva as one who acts as a true adult. That is, most people in the world act like children. The word dainin means “true adult” or “bodhisattva.” Today most people who are called adults are only pseudoadults. Physically they grow up and become adult but spiritually too many people never mature to adulthood. They don’t behave as adults in their daily lives. A bodhisattva is one who sees the world through adult eyes and whose actions are the actions of a true adult. That is really what a bodhisattva is.”

http://www.tricycle.com/new-buddhism/bodhisattvas/what-bodhisattva

*Traditionally, a bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta (a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings) but does not pass into Paradise.

King-like bodhisattva – one who aspires to become buddha as soon as possible and then help sentient beings in full fledge;

Boatman-like bodhisattva – one who aspires to achieve buddhahood along with other sentient beings;

Shepherd-like bodhisattva – one who aspires to delay buddhahood until all other sentient beings achieve buddhahood. Bodhisattvas like Avalokiteśvara and Śāntideva are believed to fall in this category.