A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Malicious speech is
unhealthy. Refraining from malicious speech is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning malicious speech, one refrains from malicious speech. One
does not repeat there what one has heard here to the detriment of these,
or repeat here what he has heard there to the detriment of those. One
unites those who are divided, is a promoter of friendships, and speaks
words that promote concord. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak
maliciously, but I shall abstain from malicious speech.” (MN 8)
If anyone should speak in disparagement of something, you should not be
angry, resentful, or upset on that account. If you were to be angry or
displeased that would only be an impediment to you, and then you could
not recognize whether what they say is rightly said or not rightly said.
If others should speak in disparagement of something, then you are to
explain what is incorrect as being incorrect. (DN 1)
Reflection
Speech is a
two-way street, and the practice of right speech includes the ability to
listen well in addition to speaking well. When you are the recipient of
malicious speech—words that are intended to attack and wound and induce
anger in you—it is a practice in itself to resist the temptation to
take offense and lash out with your own malicious speech. Equanimity is
the tool to use here, allowing you to not take things personally.
Daily Practice
Practice
listening to the words of others, especially those that are critical of
you or that disagree with opinions you hold dear, without taking them
personally. Notice when the reflex of self-defense rears up; notice how
it inclines you to resist what is being said and even to want to attack
the person saying it—and then use the power of equanimity to regard the
content objectively, without being automatically triggered into
aversion.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Verbal Action One week from today: Refraining from Harsh Speech
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
There’s
something about silence—it’s like being in the eye of a hurricane. When
we can be still, when we’re not trying to figure it out, there’s a
knowing and an intuition that we can connect with.
September’s
film is available now! “Rebel for Life,” directed by Wouter Verhoeven
is a powerful story about climate activism, the spirit of community, and
the future of life on Earth. At the center of this engaging story is
Vishal, a young hospital doctor turned climate activist, trained in
mindfulness and peaceful activism in Plum Village, France.
Buddhist cosmology describes the planes and realms where beings can
be reborn. Spatial cosmology consists of a vertical cosmology, i.e.
the different levels of beings, where beings are reborn due to their
merits and development;[1] and a horizontal cosmology, which is the
distribution of this cosmology among an "apparently" infinite number of
"worlds". Kalik cosmology describes the creation and dissolution of the
universe in terms of epochs. Buddhist cosmology is also associated
with the belief in karma, and explains that the world around us is the
result of past karma.[2] As a result, some ages are filled with
prosperity and peace due to the common good, while other ages are filled
with misery, injustice, and short life. For details -
https://m.me/j/AbZqw208YiunLZIb/
Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on compassion, for when you develop meditation on compassion,
any cruelty will be abandoned. (MN 62)
Compassion is the way to purity for one who has much cruelty. (Vm 9.108)
Reflection
None of us like
to think of ourselves as cruel, yet cruelty lies dormant in all of us
and can rise up without our calling it intentionally to mind. It may not
ripen into murderous intent, but it can nonetheless manifest in subtle
ways and cause great harm to ourselves and others. Compassion is both
the antidote to and the vaccine for this affliction, dispelling cruelty
once it has arisen and guarding against its arising again in the future.
Daily Practice
Call to mind
the emotion of compassion, feeling tenderness toward those who suffer
and encouraging the gentle wish that they heal and become free from
affliction. Notice how this has a purifying effect on your mind and
heart; it almost feels like fresh, cool water washing away any residue
of selfishness or ill will. Bathe in this shower of compassion at every
opportunity, thereby keeping all thoughts of harm out of mind.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Children
are taught to question and challenge in ways that are good for dharma.
Buddhadharma goes deeper when you question. Value comes from challenging
and investigating.