Independence is highly valued in the West – so what’s wrong with thinking of myself as independent?

There is nothing wrong with thinking a self or “I” exists. But which kind of “I” exists? We think it is very independent, single, solitary. That kind of “I” in reality does not exist. But sometimes we invent reality – it is not reality, but we think it is reality. That’s why we need this very clear understanding of which kind of “I”, and how the “I” exists.

To get this understanding of an “I” that is interdependent, dependently arising “I”, we need to understand that existence is completely dependent upon the environment around us.

HH, 17^th Karmapa
Ogyen Trinley Dorje

From Kamashila
Short-Ngon-dro teaching
Germany, 2014