The inhibitions that obscure our buddha nature develop because we use external points of reference to define and confirm our own self-identity. The problem with this is that reference points continually change. As we try to keep up with these varying references, inhibitions build upon themselves and multiply. Our self-consciousness increases, and we experience fear and vulnerability. Reference points are the cause of our hope, fear and inhibitions, and they take us farther and farther from our buddha nature. So you might as well cut inhibitions and go back to what is true—your own basic goodness, your buddha nature.
—Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Sacred Voices of the Nyingma Masters