Circle of Compassion

Until he extends his circle of compassion

to include all living things,

man will not himself

find peace.

~ Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

An Eye for an Eye

 

Instead of wandering heedlessly through our lives, we need to focus on what we are doing right now. If we are mindful and focus on what we are doing, we will not carelessly say something that will hurt another, because in our speaking with that person we will not be looking around the room or be wondering what we are going to say as soon as they stop talking.

We will be listening and observing. If we say something upsetting, we will notice their reaction. We will be able to go back and find out what we said that was upsetting and correct it. If we just carefully listen to other people, we can alleviate so much pain. Most of the time when people have a problem, all they want is someone to listen to them, somebody who will not judge them, somebody they can feel safe with. We can become that somebody for others. We can be the caring person that they are looking for and that we wish to be.

Everything arises from the mind: anger, hatred, and vengeance. We can also give rise to loving-kindness, gentleness, and caring for others. We have free will. We can decide what we will do, who we wish to be. We created who we are today. We can recreate who we will be tomorrow. Our world is a reflection of all of our thoughts, the thoughts of a collective consciousness. We can influence others for the good by what we are thinking.

We may not stop the bombs that will be ignited tomorrow, but if we are sincerely thinking of helping others, of peace, of acceptance, then as our thoughts are perceived throughout the universe we may be able to stop those bombs from being dropped ten years from now. All we need to do is to resolve to stop that bitterness and hatred, that seeking of revenge, that believing that an eye for an eye is correct. It must all end now. If we fail to do this, then the world will become blind to reality, to reason, and to what is right. And we will be lost.

Excerpt from Let Us Not be Blinded by ‘An Eye for an Eye’

What is Affinity?

Question: What do you mean by affinity? By conditions?

Response: An affinity is a favorable relationship. (Enmities are unfavorable relationships.) Conditions are the situations we encounter. Affinity and condition are the same in Chinese, yuan.

For innumer­able lifetimes, we have been creating affinities. When we meet someone and instantly like him, it is due to good affinities from past lifetimes. Instant dislike is due to bad affinities. Actually, we have affinities with all beings. As the Buddha said, all beings have been our parents.

If in our daily interactions with others and situations, we accord with af­finities and conditions, we will be happy. But our contentment will vanish if we seek affinities. As affinities or conditions arise, act on them; but when they are absent, do not try to force some­thing to happen, for to do so will end in frustration. In such cases, the conditions, whether favorable or unfavor­able, to resume past relationships have not matured. The time is not yet right.

Bodhisattvas Fear Causes, We Fear Results

 

Patriarch Yin Guang wrote in his journal that the sutras teach, “Bodhisattvas fear causes, sentient beings fear results.” The Master then wrote, “To avoid the result of suffering, Bodhisattvas destroy evil causes in advance. Thus, evil karma is eliminated and virtues are accrued in full, up to the time they become Buddhas.” [i]

Whether worldly phenomena or the teachings of the Buddhas, nothing is exempt from the law of cause and effect. It is said that everything is empty and unreal, an eternally impermanent element, but the law of cause and effect is unchangeable and real, an eternally permanent element.

Both cause and effect are closely related, as they mutually co-exist. A cause produces an effect that in turn becomes another cause. From this endless cycle, we can see that a particular cause is not fixed. Neither is an effect the only effect. The combination of cause and effect forms a vicious cycle: birth and death.

A bodhisattva is an understanding awakened being and is therefore well aware that every cause produces an effect. Because of this, they are very cautious in their every thought, word and deed, understanding that a negative cause will become a negative karmic result in the future for which they will have to personally bear the consequences. Unlike bodhisattvas, sentient beings do not understand the principles and realities of life. Our knowledge is limited and vague, far from complete. Consequently, we carelessly commit causal actions and do not understand, when the results occur later, why they happened. By then, it is too late.

Based on the work of Ven. Master Chin Kung

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[i] From Pure-Land Zen Zen Pure-Land Letters from Patriarch Yin Kuang, Trans. by Master Thich Thien Tam

Honor and Respect the Religions of Others

Do not honor and respect only our own religion and condemn those of others, but, honor other’s as well. In so doing, we help our own religion to grow and render service to others as well.

In acting otherwise, we dig the grave of both. Whosoever honors his own religion and condemns others, does so through devotion to his own, thinking:

“I will glorify my own religion.”

But on the contrary, he injures his own more gravely. So concord is good. Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others.

~ Emperor Asoka (BCE 273-232)