The Denial Of Corruption

Corruption: showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for personal gain.
Denial: to deliberately refuse to accept the truth about something unpleasant by pretending that it  does not exist.

There are two aspects to every situation: the essence, and the form it takes. If we become more attracted to the form, we lose the essence, and if we want only the essence, we become unreliable. It’s like the difference between craft and art – one is understanding the limitations of the materials, while the other is the spirit of execution.

The Dharma is not only text. It is the spirit of execution – actual empathetic compassion.

If we cannot be empathetic towards the person in front of us, we are corrupted. This is the effect of groupthink in religion – and we see it all too often.