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Unfortunately today's shooter was Theravadan Buddhist
I think there is some difference between the 2. Buddhism, generally speaking, does not require any sort of instruction or teacher in order to study and practice. You can indeed take refuge in the bathtub if want to. However if you opt to be a student of a teacher, you might find they eventually offer you to formally state your intentions to follow the Buddhist path by taking Refuge Vows and precepts.
However, as I understand in the Catholic world, you cannot do those sorts of things on your own. All those rituals are supposed to be performed by someone called by God to the role, and certified/educated by approved church curricula in order to be named a person who can perform those rituals. So, yes, I suppose technically you could baptize yourself, but your baptism would have no record and no meaning to the Church. They require you to prove you are Catholic to some degree. I am guessing (but could be wrong) that I could go to many Buddhist temples and centers and tell them I am a Buddhist and they would not require proof of any sort to back up my claim. Maybe I am wrong on the Catholic aspect, that is how I have understood it based on conversations with Catholics I know, but maybe it varies or my understanding is off. Anyhow, overall I think you'd have more luck simply opting to be Budddhist and announcing it to the world successfully and without much question of your intent and sincerity whereas to announce you are now Catholic is an entirely different ball game.
I don't know about Theravada's tradition. But in Mahayana Buddhism, first you take refuge and precepts with a master and he will give you your Buddhist's name. In important occasions, people will call you by your Buddhist's name. You can't be considered as Buddhist unless you have a Buddhist's name. And you are not allowed to give yourself a Buddhist name. It's not acceptable.
Here's the problem with saying "that person is not a Buddhist". Pretty soon it expands a little, and someone is saying, "That is not a real sangha." And continue on with, "I don't feel that Mahayana is real Buddhism." There's no end to it.
And as far as being a Buddhist only if you've gone through a formal ceremony. Does that mean that a person where there was no sangha to conduct such a ceremony is not a Buddhist?
All people who go through with the ceremony are official Buddhists. The other ones are Buddhists too but prefer not to show. Then again, a lot of people took refuge but never practice Buddhism or even understand Buddhism wrongly but on paper, on statistic, they are still Buddhists. Anyway, that's how it works in my country but you are right about why should you seek approval from others. Who care? if you think you are Buddhist then you are. What other people think of you is not important.
I don't know about Theravada's tradition. But in Mahayana Buddhism, first you take refuge and precepts with a master and he will give you your Buddhist's name. In important occasions, people will call you by your Buddhist's name. You can't be considered as Buddhist unless you have a Buddhist's name. And you are not allowed to give yourself a Buddhist name. It's not acceptable.
And this is why I don't go around saying "I'm a Buddhist" because I go to a Sangha but haven't taken Refuge Vows in a formal ceremony, just at home in my own Shrine space. I have no Buddhist name (not that that matters very much to me) and don't attend the Sangha on a weekly basis.
If that doesn't make me a Buddhist, oh well. Soon it won't matter what I called myself during this life
I try to wrap my head around this concept: I live in Canada, I consider myself a Canadian as much as any other Canadians. But I don't bother to apply for citizenship. So my citizenship is not Canadian but I am a Canadian. LOL. Oh! my head hurts! LOL.
This Guy is not a Buddhist, Buddhists don't go on shooting spree's killing people. Its a bad thing to associate this person with Buddhism.
you just stirred the hornets nest again!
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DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
If he was trying to better himself then why would he be shooting people?
Because people slip and fall. We all have our weaknesses. Self-examination is the key, but we don't always succeed, especially when battling inner demons. If we were already perfect, why would we bother seeking to find some kind of inner peace?
How do we even know he was seeking inner peace? For all we know his interest in Buddhism was nothing more than a mask.
Also in these matters I find it hard to compare Buddhism with religions that sanction violence. Yes, anybody can be misguided no matter what ideology they try to follow but when the ideology itself is misguided (as is calling for blood), it isn't going to help matters.
To be officially called a buddhist, one must at least take refuge in the three jewels. Of course, anybody on the street can call themselves a buddhist, there is no law of enforcement for that.
There is no "officially".
It depends on the tradition.
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DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
All people who go through with the ceremony are official Buddhists. The other ones are Buddhists too but prefer not to show. Then again, a lot of people took refuge but never practice Buddhism or even understand Buddhism wrongly but on paper, on statistic, they are still Buddhists. Anyway, that's how it works in my country but you are right about why should you seek approval from others. Who care? if you think you are Buddhist then you are. What other people think of you is not important.
To each their own but formalities and legalities seem like very small things to me.
Can we agree a Buddhist is anyone who practices Buddhism?
More or less, though I'd prefer "anyone who is doing Buddhist practice." And the actions of this individual seem about as far removed from doing Buddhist practice as you can get.
Practice means to mess up and go again, to try again, to learn from the mistake. Some people make much larger mistakes than others. But as seems is the case as things come together, sometimes people who do these types of things are not the cold blooded planning machines that they seem. One can still be mentally ill and plan something of this nature. But it seems as is often the case, the ball was dropped by someone. When he called the police saying people were talking to him from the closets of his hotel rooms, worried enough that he changed hotels 3 times and called the police, and the police gave that information to the Naval police...well there there is accountability and responsibility there as well for not passing along information that could have made a difference in the 12 innocent people who died along with the shooter himself. Perhaps he really was a cold blooded machine of a killer human being. But it seems most likely at this point he was a man who suffered and was calling out for help and did not get it. That is on the hands of those who directly did nothing with the information, and on us as a society for shoving the mentally ill under the carpet.
To be officially called a buddhist, one must at least take refuge in the three jewels. Of course, anybody on the street can call themselves a buddhist, there is no law of enforcement for that.
There is no "officially".
It depends on the tradition.
And I sometimes think that's the underlying problem that leads to so many disagreements between people on this forum. For example, my experience is with Theravadan Buddhism, so when I see a response to something that fits well with Zen or Tibetan Buddhism, it fits very poorly with my experiences.
Nevertheless, I would say that a lone man sitting in the middle of Greenland could still be a Buddhist without the possibility of visiting a Buddhist sangha and undergoing a ceremony.
...But it seems most likely at this point he was a man who suffered and was calling out for help and did not get it. That is on the hands of those who directly did nothing with the information, and on us as a society for shoving the mentally ill under the carpet.
Very true. I don't know anything about the sangha he was visiting, but clearly it was Theravadan, and therefore probably most of the people at the sangha were Thai. I will tell you that in general, Thai people are not totally comfortable with Black people. Perhaps he didn't even feel really part of the temple. We don't know.
There was a photo of one of the monks of the temple in one of the articles. I know the temple is in Fort Worth but the picture was tagged as White Settlement, TX. What a name for a town
We never know. I think sometimes we drive ourselves crazy debating these shootings and reading all the articles and watching all the news on them, because the answer time and time again is, "something was wrong, but we missed it, and we don't know how not to miss it, and we don't REALLY know why he did it."
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation says the Dharmakaya (all phenomena empty) radiates from high to low without discrimination. From that perspective all people have a relationship to a Buddha. If a Christian or atheist attains the Bodhisattva state of consciousness would it be meaningful to call (or not call) them a Buddhist?
I see all the other points of view, but I am just pointing out that all beings have a heart in the sense of some kind of enjoyment or tenderness even if it is only for their mother or even if it is something like an art or food.
All beings can perceive reality because their mind is clear, luminous, and unimpeded.
So from that point of view everyone is a Buddhist.
And then there is the question of whether someone self proclaims themselves or whether they have to meet a bar such as: refuge, meditation, or precepts...
I say that my view is more powerful because it acknowledges emptiness of all beings and it recognizes the nature of all minds as buddha nature.
So where does evil come from? Good question. Your guess is as good as mine.
One thing that always helps me is remembering that even the most heinous person was once a child, once a newborn, bright eyes full of marvel of the world. Hard to do sometimes, I know.
The diamond sutra says that stream enterers are not stream enterers. The reason is that if they thought that they had a life, a being, or a lifetime they would not be stream enterers.
... Actually it is based of compassion only for his victims not him.
If I were about to be shot by him in my last moments I would be hoping for justice and I doubt that you wouldn't do the same.
1. I agree, his victims deserve compassion...also.
2. Wanting justice is not the same as not wanting compassion.
3. You give back what you give? Then I suggest you should reread lots of your posts. You're in for some negative karma.
They deserve much more compassion than him. Now every one seems to love evil people and stress how important there rights and understanding is but seem to completely ignore remembering there victims.
And rejoicing in some one getting what they deserve isn't a negative action.
No, they deserve compassion as much as anyone deserves it.
Now every one seems to love evil people and stress how important there rights and understanding is but seem to completely ignore remembering there victims.
You're letting your anger draw us off-topic. This isn't about how people relate to criminals. Take that to a site or thread discussiing social issues and justice.
And rejoicing in some one getting what they deserve isn't a negative action.
No, they deserve compassion as much as anyone deserves it.
Now every one seems to love evil people and stress how important there rights and understanding is but seem to completely ignore remembering there victims.
You're letting your anger draw us off-topic. This isn't about how people relate to criminals. Take that to a site or thread discussiing social issues and justice.
And rejoicing in some one getting what they deserve isn't a negative action.
Actually it is based of compassion only for his victims not him.
And how does that make a practitioner of Buddhism any different from an ordinary bloke stuck in samsara?
Thich Nhat Hanh:
In Plum Village, where I live in France, we receive many letters from the refugee camps in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, hundreds each week. It is very painful to read them, but we have to do it, we have to be in contact. We try our best to help, but the suffering is enormous, and sometimes we are discouraged. It is said that half the boat people die in the ocean. Only half arrive at the shores in Southeast Asia, and even then they may not be safe.
There are many young girls, boat people, who are raped by sea pirates. Even though the United Nations and many countries try to help the government of Thailand prevent that kind of piracy, sea pirates continue to inflict much suffering on the refugees. One day we received a letter telling us about a young girl on a small boat who was raped by a Thai pirate. She was only twelve, and she jumped into the ocean and drowned herself.
When you first learn of something like that, you get angry at the pirate. You naturally take the side of the girl. As you look more deeply you will see it differently. If you take the side of the little girl, then it is easy. You only have to take a gun and shoot the pirate. But we cannot do that. In my meditation I saw that if I had been born in the village of the pirate and raised in the same conditions as he was, there is a great likelihood that I would become a pirate. I saw that many babies are born along the Gulf of Siam, hundreds every day, and if we educators, social workers, politicians, and others do not do something about the situation, in twenty-five years a number of them will become sea pirates. That is certain. If you or I were born today in those fishing villages, we may become sea pirates in twenty-five years. If you take a gun and shoot the pirate, all of us are to some extent responsible for this state of affairs.
After a long meditation, I wrote this poem. In it, there are three people: the twelve-year-old girl, the pirate, and me. Can we look at each other and recognize ourselves in each other? The tide of the poem is "Please Call Me by My True Names," because I have so many names. When I hear one of the of these names, I have to say, "Yes."
CALL ME BY MY TRUE NAMES
Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second to be a bud on a spring branch, to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile, learning to sing in my new nest, to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower, to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope. The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river, and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond, and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence, feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks, and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat, who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate, and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands, and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my people, dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life. My pain if like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names, so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up, and so the door of my heart can be left open, the door of compassion.
Just remember eccentric that striving for compassion when it is the most difficult, that's when it really counts. Don't think anyone here is saying that it's easy... But in the long run It's what helps you the most.
Its not surprising that anger closes down the space from which compassion blooms, nor is it surprising to judge the being who judges the shooter. On and on delusion spreads as minds close down to the perceptions of injustice. Not having compassion for the shooter is unjust or perniciously karmic for us. Not having compassion for Theeccentric for being angry is unjust. Understanding, space, forgiveness, deep insight... those are the gifts from compassion we trade in for a simple "what a douche".
We who make space for all of them, baggage included, mistakes included, can help relieve the pressures, the fires of anger. To grieve our collective suffering, but not lament. Not allow the shooters anger to pass to us, directly or through those who get caught in their anger. You folks are deeply inspiring, thank you.
@TheEccentric said: If I were about to be shot by him in my last moments I would be hoping for justice.
For your own sake, please do not be angry at the time you die because you will create bad karma that will lead your soul to bad place. It happens to good people who do good things all their lives but they get angry and full of hatred just before they die. This negative feeling is like a fire that destroys the whole house of goodness that they built in their entire life.
Every one is a potential Buddha, that's why when you kill a life, you kill a future Buddha.
@TheEccentric said: They deserve much more compassion than him. Now every one seems to love evil people and stress how important there rights and understanding is but seem to completely ignore remembering there victims.
I feel sad for him because of an opportunity lost. He desperately needed help and he ran into the house of compassion of Buddhism. But because of his accumulated bad karma, he couldn't be saved. Now this lost soul will fall into the hell realm for a long time. He could have been saved. But somehow he missed his chance!
The other innocent lives were cut short and they deserve a lot of sympathies too.
You don't have to be angry, their karma will take care of that for you. By filling yourself with anger, you hurt yourself. I read this from somewhere: Angry is like holding a hot coal in your hand, waiting to throw at someone.
For your own sake, please do not be angry at the time you die because you will create bad karma that will lead your soul to bad place. It happens to good people who do good things all their lives but they get angry and full of hatred just before they die. This negative feeling is like a fire that destroys the whole house of goodness that they built in their entire life.
by cvalue
Hey man...think about this would ya? Really give it a good long thought.
This is peace, the stilling and relinquishment of anger/thoughts/views.
Be at least a stream winner so that you don't get deposited in "hell".
"And when, monks, the Ariyan disciple understands as they really are the arising and the passing away, the attractiveness and the danger, and the deliverance from the five groups of clinging, he is called an Ariyan disciple who is a Stream-winner, not liable to states of woe,[1] assured of final enlightenment." http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.109.wlsh.html
Virtue, as practiced by the stream-enterer, is also a function of a deep trust in the principle of kamma, and of a sympathy for others that arises from that trust. Although stream-enterers may still break the minor rules of training, the depth of insight that informs their virtue ensures that their adherence to the basic principles of morality is unshakable. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/into_the_stream.html#part2
The other day I met and talked to an arhat. That is an enlightened being. Was he a practicing Buddhist? Did not ask. Not interested. He was kind, totally in the moment, with a wide field of awareness. A rare jewel, a pleasure to be around.
Have you ever been killed by a wrathful dharma protector or wrathful deity or at least had your identification massacred? No? It's a practice.
For those of you still killing your demons, tsk tsk . . . how could you be so mindless of the precepts . . . let me remind you of who to be kind to:
Lobsters [what do you mean vested interest . . . ] Buddhists, murderers, bankers, rapists, monks, prostitutes, Mahasiddhis, spiders etc down to the last blade of grass for those 'pseudo Buddhists' the accursed Mahayana . . . Also terrorists, people who battle with demons and fail, label makers, the enlightened fish [allegedly], murdering 'scumbags', dharma scumbags, general purpose scumbags and people who leave their ringtones on too loud . . . Not forgetting, victims, perps, criminals, annoying relatives . . . oh and of course ourselves . . .
. . . I don't think I can do all that :wow: Time to hand myself in to the dharma police for de-programming . . .
Yes, he does. All sentient beings are worthy of compassion. No exceptions.
Did he give any compassion when he pulled that trigger on those people?
I wasn't there, so I don't know. I rather doubt it, though.
Then why does he deserve compassion if he does not give compassion himself?
Because compassion isn't something a person has to earn or "deserve".
And it's not a "zero sum" game where compassion for the attacker means less compassion for the victim.
And it's not easy to comprehend what we're talking about if you mistake compassion for sympathy.
There is a story where a wife once came to Napoleon Bonaparte and pleaded for mercy for her husband, who was scheduled to be executed at dawn for cowardice in battle.
"Madam, he doesn't deserve mercy," Napoleon said. "Sir, if he deserved it, then it wouldn't be mercy!" the wife replied.
Don't know why that little story popped into my mind.
what is the point of compassion if we only give it to people who we consider god and deserving? What is the point of forgiveness if we cannot forgive those who do the most wrong? It has nothing to do with loving evil people and forgetting the victims. It's easy to have compassion for someone whose life was taken, and for those who were left behind. But the same is the case for Alexis. In his case it doesn't even seem he might be entirely responsible for his choice in actions if we was as ill as they are making out. I think he lived a life of fear we cannot even comprehend. What he needed was help. Not people wishing for him to suffer further. He was already living in the heal realms. It's not so hard to understand that we all suffer. That's a necessary part of understanding to follow the Buddhist path. We *all* suffer, even those who do horrible acts. In fact, the people who are capable of such action that goes so against what our true nature is, are suffering even more than the rest of us. Because of that, because of how much they suffer, they deserve compassion. You think the family of Alexis isn't suffering just as much, if not more than, the families of the innocent people who were killed? They deserve compassion, too. So does the Navy person who was told about Alexis' unstable mental health yet did nothing. They have a lot on their shoulders. They deserve our compassion.
I was doing my reading for my Sangha meeting tomorrow and this was one of the verses: "Although we almost never feel compassion For those who, through defilement, Bring about their own perdition, What purpose does our anger serve?
If those who are like wanton children Are by nature prone to injure others, There's no reason for our rage; It's like resenting fire for being hot.
If a patient quality of mind is mine, I shall avoid the pains of hell. But though indeed I save myself, What of my foes, what fate's in store for them?
If I repay them harm for harm, Indeed they'll not be saved thereby. My conduct will in turn be marred, Austerity off patience brought to nothing." (Way of the Bodhisattva)
We are supposed to hope for the best rebirth for everyone. Not just Buddhists. Not just good people. Everyone.
The way I encourage myself to achieve compassion for difficult people is by imagining that that person, is one of my children. Right now my kids are still innocent, have made no major mistakes. All 3 of them wouldn't hurt a fly, and they make every attempt not to. They are wide eyed and looking forward into a world overflowing with possibilities. But it's still possible one of them could run into causes and conditions that take them down a different path. I hope that they will carry their upbringing with them to help them recognize difficult paths and avoid them, but the truth is their path is their path, regardless of what I want and hope for them, and regardless of how I raise them they have to carve their own path. And it's possible one of them will shoot someone else. It's possible one of them will abuse their spouse. It's possible they will get caught up in alcohol in college and kill someone drunk driving. It's quite possible. And if something like that were to befall one of them I would have compassion for them. I would still love them, unconditionally, even if they shot 12 people. And it is that love that I try to extend to everyone else because they were all children in the same state that mine are in now, and their path took them somewhere dark.
I should clarify an earlier position I took. There is a limit beyond which I cannot feel compassion. Hitler, Pol Pot are examples. Where I draw my line I don't know. But generally I can feel compassion for most perpetrators at some level.
OK Thank you guys I can ow see where I was at error. Now I have been meditating more on Love and compassion I realise I shoud not be glad of him taking a birth in hell, it is not healthy to harbor such ill-will.
Comments
However, as I understand in the Catholic world, you cannot do those sorts of things on your own. All those rituals are supposed to be performed by someone called by God to the role, and certified/educated by approved church curricula in order to be named a person who can perform those rituals. So, yes, I suppose technically you could baptize yourself, but your baptism would have no record and no meaning to the Church. They require you to prove you are Catholic to some degree. I am guessing (but could be wrong) that I could go to many Buddhist temples and centers and tell them I am a Buddhist and they would not require proof of any sort to back up my claim. Maybe I am wrong on the Catholic aspect, that is how I have understood it based on conversations with Catholics I know, but maybe it varies or my understanding is off. Anyhow, overall I think you'd have more luck simply opting to be Budddhist and announcing it to the world successfully and without much question of your intent and sincerity whereas to announce you are now Catholic is an entirely different ball game.
And as far as being a Buddhist only if you've gone through a formal ceremony. Does that mean that a person where there was no sangha to conduct such a ceremony is not a Buddhist?
If that doesn't make me a Buddhist, oh well. Soon it won't matter what I called myself during this life
Also in these matters I find it hard to compare Buddhism with religions that sanction violence. Yes, anybody can be misguided no matter what ideology they try to follow but when the ideology itself is misguided (as is calling for blood), it isn't going to help matters.
And I'd say we should posthumously take back his Super-Secret Vajra Decoder Ring and thereby strip him of every vestige of Buddhist-hood.
And the actions of this individual seem about as far removed from doing Buddhist practice as you can get.
Nevertheless, I would say that a lone man sitting in the middle of Greenland could still be a Buddhist without the possibility of visiting a Buddhist sangha and undergoing a ceremony.
We never know. I think sometimes we drive ourselves crazy debating these shootings and reading all the articles and watching all the news on them, because the answer time and time again is, "something was wrong, but we missed it, and we don't know how not to miss it, and we don't REALLY know why he did it."
I just hope in the hell realm he feels the pain and misery he caused for others.
If you can decide, then so can I. And as far as you being a Buddhist...
See how that can work?
No one gave you the power or authority to decide who is or isn't a Buddhist.
And, BTW, that last sentence...you sound so compassionate.
You need to work on your compassion.
Try Tonglen.
If I were about to be shot by him in my last moments I would be hoping for justice and I doubt that you wouldn't do the same.
Did he give any compassion when he pulled that trigger on those people? You get back what you give.
2. Wanting justice is not the same as not wanting compassion.
3. You give back what you give? Then I suggest you should reread lots of your posts. You're in for some negative karma.
I see all the other points of view, but I am just pointing out that all beings have a heart in the sense of some kind of enjoyment or tenderness even if it is only for their mother or even if it is something like an art or food.
All beings can perceive reality because their mind is clear, luminous, and unimpeded.
So from that point of view everyone is a Buddhist.
And then there is the question of whether someone self proclaims themselves or whether they have to meet a bar such as: refuge, meditation, or precepts...
I say that my view is more powerful because it acknowledges emptiness of all beings and it recognizes the nature of all minds as buddha nature.
So where does evil come from? Good question. Your guess is as good as mine.
Hard to do sometimes, I know.
And rejoicing in some one getting what they deserve isn't a negative action.
Then why does he deserve compassion if he does not give compassion himself?
You really should try Tonglen practice.
You really should try Tonglen practice.
I have tried it...
Thich Nhat Hanh:
Defeated me, robbed me!"
For those that carry on like this,
Hatred does not end.
"She abused me, attacked me,
Defeated me, robbed me!"
For those not carrying on like this,
Hatred ends.
Hatred never ends through hatred.
By non-hate alone does it end.
This is an ancient truth.
Dhammapada, chapter 1
(translated by Gil Fronsdal)
We who make space for all of them, baggage included, mistakes included, can help relieve the pressures, the fires of anger. To grieve our collective suffering, but not lament. Not allow the shooters anger to pass to us, directly or through those who get caught in their anger. You folks are deeply inspiring, thank you.
Every one is a potential Buddha, that's why when you kill a life, you kill a future Buddha.
I feel sad for him because of an opportunity lost. He desperately needed help and he ran into the house of compassion of Buddhism. But because of his accumulated bad karma, he couldn't be saved. Now this lost soul will fall into the hell realm for a long time. He could have been saved. But somehow he missed his chance!
The other innocent lives were cut short and they deserve a lot of sympathies too.
You don't have to be angry, their karma will take care of that for you. By filling yourself with anger, you hurt yourself. I read this from somewhere: Angry is like holding a hot coal in your hand, waiting to throw at someone.
Hey man...think about this would ya? Really give it a good long thought.
This is peace, the stilling and relinquishment of anger/thoughts/views.
Be at least a stream winner so that you don't get deposited in "hell".
Have you ever been killed by a wrathful dharma protector or wrathful deity or at least had your identification massacred? No? It's a practice.
For those of you still killing your demons, tsk tsk . . . how could you be so mindless of the precepts . . . let me remind you of who to be kind to:
Lobsters [what do you mean vested interest . . . ]
Buddhists, murderers, bankers, rapists, monks, prostitutes, Mahasiddhis, spiders etc down to the last blade of grass for those 'pseudo Buddhists' the accursed Mahayana . . .
Also terrorists, people who battle with demons and fail, label makers, the enlightened fish [allegedly], murdering 'scumbags', dharma scumbags, general purpose scumbags and people who leave their ringtones on too loud . . .
Not forgetting, victims, perps, criminals, annoying relatives . . . oh and of course ourselves . . .
. . . I don't think I can do all that :wow:
Time to hand myself in to the dharma police for de-programming . . .
OM YA HA HUM
Because compassion isn't something a person has to earn or "deserve".
And it's not a "zero sum" game where compassion for the attacker means less compassion for the victim.
And it's not easy to comprehend what we're talking about if you mistake compassion for sympathy.
There is a story where a wife once came to Napoleon Bonaparte and pleaded for mercy for her husband, who was scheduled to be executed at dawn for cowardice in battle.
"Madam, he doesn't deserve mercy," Napoleon said.
"Sir, if he deserved it, then it wouldn't be mercy!" the wife replied.
Don't know why that little story popped into my mind.
E I E I O DAMMIT
I was doing my reading for my Sangha meeting tomorrow and this was one of the verses:
"Although we almost never feel compassion
For those who, through defilement,
Bring about their own perdition,
What purpose does our anger serve?
If those who are like wanton children
Are by nature prone to injure others,
There's no reason for our rage;
It's like resenting fire for being hot.
If a patient quality of mind is mine,
I shall avoid the pains of hell.
But though indeed I save myself,
What of my foes, what fate's in store for them?
If I repay them harm for harm,
Indeed they'll not be saved thereby.
My conduct will in turn be marred,
Austerity off patience brought to nothing." (Way of the Bodhisattva)
We are supposed to hope for the best rebirth for everyone. Not just Buddhists. Not just good people. Everyone.
The way I encourage myself to achieve compassion for difficult people is by imagining that that person, is one of my children. Right now my kids are still innocent, have made no major mistakes. All 3 of them wouldn't hurt a fly, and they make every attempt not to. They are wide eyed and looking forward into a world overflowing with possibilities. But it's still possible one of them could run into causes and conditions that take them down a different path. I hope that they will carry their upbringing with them to help them recognize difficult paths and avoid them, but the truth is their path is their path, regardless of what I want and hope for them, and regardless of how I raise them they have to carve their own path. And it's possible one of them will shoot someone else. It's possible one of them will abuse their spouse. It's possible they will get caught up in alcohol in college and kill someone drunk driving. It's quite possible. And if something like that were to befall one of them I would have compassion for them. I would still love them, unconditionally, even if they shot 12 people. And it is that love that I try to extend to everyone else because they were all children in the same state that mine are in now, and their path took them somewhere dark.