Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

“The foundation of the Buddha’s teachings lies in compassion, and the reason for practicing the teachings is to wipe out the persistence of ego, the number-one enemy of compassion.” - Dalai Lama XIV

Why is His Holiness laughing? Without intending offense to owners of Kimber 1911s or any other pistol with a four-figure price tag and twice that in customization, please consider what HH says about ego.

So far as I understand it, the term "ego" actually originates outside of Buddhism, in Western psychology, and it refers to the psychological construct that is our identity. In both Western psychology and Buddhism, the term refers to the self, to "I."

When you invest your ego in a firearm you fall into spiritual error. Plus, you fool yourself, because, as every shooter knows deep down inside, the more you 'improve' a pistol the less reliable it becomes. The plain GI Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1  that I was issued in the 1980s U.S. Army was near-perfect in reliability, yet it rattled when I shook it, barely had any sights, used worn plastic grips, and had practically no finish left on the slide. Carrying that pistol taught me to give up ego when it comes to defensive gun use.

His Holiness knows why he is laughing. A custom Kimber with all the most expensive improvements is a gun you show your friends. A plain Glock or a humble J-frame .38 is a gun you show your enemies.