The Blessing of Seeing our Faults

When I was younger just starting out on the Buddhist Path, I used to lament in dissatisfaction over all my faults, bad habits, and habitual tendencies. I was generally a very negative person. Over the years, through the long process of self-examination and meditation, I have become calmer, and the quality of my inner world has improved greatly. I don’t hold so tightly to personal opinions, and I am much less angry of a person. Most importantly, I have learned to see my faults as a positive thing.


And by that I mean, awareness of my faults is the positive thing. The individual faults themselves aren’t so relevant (although there are a transformative qualities possible with the negativities as well, but that is another story) the ability or willingness to recognize them is.


We all have faults. Some of us see them and work to correct them. Some of us see them and allow them to bring us down, falling into the pit of self-loathing and depression. Some don’t notice at all, or even care for that matter.


If there is no inner dialogue, no self-reflection or examination, we fumble through life, missing the opportunities for self-improvement. If we notice our faults and become sad or dissatisfied with ourselves, we are forever stuck with the faults, and we feel bad about it at the same time. Not only do we not improve our situation, we fuel the fire of negativities endlessly.


So it hit me one day, the fact that I constantly notice my negative tendencies was actually a blessing in disguise, not an occasion to hate myself. (Self-hatred is a prevalent Western characteristic).


Now, when I realize that I have become distracted (which is often) I see it in a whole new way: I’m missing the chance to be mindful of this very moment, which includes all of my impurities. Instead of wishing to run away from my defects, I want to clearly see, examine, understand, and embrace them. Exposed in this light, they become weaker and less automated.


So the next time you notice some fault or habit that displeases you, acknowledge it and take joy that you are noticing it. Instead of negativities weighing you down, you are directly confronting reality, transforming faults into Wisdom.


Amitofo