Sundays With Buddha

Let no one deceive another or despise anyone anywhere, or through anger or irritation wish for another to suffer.
                                                                                                    --Buddha


Week 49

This is quite the tough one for us "mere mortals". The patience that this requires is almost nothing short of 'Saintly'. I don't make it a daily practice to wish another to suffer (...anymore. Seriously, if you didn't know already, I used to have a real problem with this), but if we are being honest, we do have anger and irritation and often deceive and even despise one another in our everyday lives. No matter how hard we try to be decent people, we just sometimes let our emotions get the better of us.

Sometimes, even when we are on a path to better living and higher consciousness, we live through instances where, when we are victims of 'wrong doing' we wish for retribution against those we feel wronged by. We will fantasize and let our minds run amok with scenarios to satisfy our egotistical need to be vindicated in some way.

The ugly, disrespectful customer, the teacher who upset our child, the loan officer/banker who made us feel inferior, the boss who belittled us, even the driver who cut us off; we spend so much of our time and energy reliving our emotional journey with these people, often wishing for the outcome to have the tables turned--to have them feel the pain we sufferer with. But who does this make us, if not just like them?

If you are reading this, your desire to journey deeper into compassion and kindness and to change the ways that have tormented you in the past are possibly upon you. Or perhaps you are not ready yet, but wish to see how others cope with this part of their lives while still trying to maintain some balance between being 'good' and living realistically.

All of my posts are essentially about the same thing: trying to find that balance between doing what you feel is right, doing right by yourself and the others around you, and living your life without strain and pain and making yourself crazy in the process for fear you're not doing it right. If you can really quiet down long enough to listen to yourself, you'll know what is right. I think some of us just try so hard, I know I do, to 'get it right' that we stress ourselves out. And I believe that because we often do try so hard, it leaves a lot of room for frustration at those who seem not to.

We just have to remember that it is not our responsibility to ensure that they live their lives right. We can only do that for ourselves, and hope that we lead by example. And that example probably should not include outward irritation, deception or despising others for their decisions.  When you are on the path to trying to make yourself better, what could be more self destructive?

The one you end up starting to despise is yourself.

Thanks for reading today.

Namaste

Nanette