Don't Look at Others
February 10, 2008
Venerable Wuling in Karma and Causality, Practice

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The Buddha told us to do no harm and to purify our minds. He did not tell us to instruct others to correct their faults. He did not say we should force others into thinking as we do or belittle others to make ourselves look superior or wiser. He told us that if we wish to awaken, we would need to stop blaming others for our problems, to stop arguing with others, and to stop judging others.

Instead, we need to look at ourselves, understand our situations, and assume full responsibility for what happens to us. We reap what we sow. Our lives today are the result of what we thought, said, and did in the past. What we think, say, and do today will, likewise, shape our future. If we harm others, we will be harmed. If we love others, we will be loved. If we have peaceful thoughts, we will have peace. Everything will come back to us full circle.

Thus, everything we do matters.

 

Article originally appeared on a buddhist perspective (http://www.abuddhistperspective.org/).
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