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Conan The Barbie Doll

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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 3:10 pm

Is it true that a Buddhist has no enemies?

Today I went to the store for a snack, and I saw someone there who stole a lot of stuff from my house while I had been hosting a party(quite some time ago). I was too stoned, to drunk, and too trusting. I let in some people who I didn't realize were known for criminal activity-untill it was too late.

Anyway- I saw one of the guys who had been there, and who had stolen stuff from me, and then phoned me after saying he would help me catch who did it. It was all lies. I was thinking of all this while I was at the store, and I was so consumed with anger and bitterness that I had totally forgotten why I had come to the store in the first place. I wanted to go to him and basically call him out on all of the things he had done, but I knew that would just cause trouble. Even writing about this now makes me angry again.

How can I have compassion for this guy who screwed me over so long ago?

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:10 pm

This may not work for you, but this is how I would go about it.

I would consider that if this person were free from suffering and its causes, then he would have no reason to steal from me or lie to me. If were totally wise and totally compassionate, he would not be involved in criminal activity and would, instead, be helping others to also become liberated from ignorance.

And so, for the benefit of all living beings, I would generate compassion for him because, under the influence of ignorance and karma, he is not wise or compassionate and is, instead, suffering in a way that causes him to steal and lie. These factors of ignorance and karma are difficult to recognize - not everyone wants to recognize them or deal with them; many disbelieve in them and ridicule those who acknowledge them. This is very unfortunate for they cannot even see their own suffering.

May he come to realize his suffering and its causes
May he come to cultivate happiness and its causes
May he be free from suffering and its causes
May he abide in equanimity, free from ignorance
May he never be parted from upper rebirth's excellent bliss

Tenzin Chodron
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Shokai

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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:05 pm

Nirguna the Heart

This may not work for you, but this is how I would go about it.

I would consider that if this person were free from suffering and its causes, then he would have no reason to steal from me or lie to me. If were totally wise and totally compassionate, he would not be involved in criminal activity and would, instead, be helping others to also become liberated from ignorance.

And so, for the benefit of all living beings, I would generate compassion for him because, under the influence of ignorance and karma, he is not wise or compassionate and is, instead, suffering in a way that causes him to steal and lie. These factors of ignorance and karma are difficult to recognize - not everyone wants to recognize them or deal with them; many disbelieve in them and ridicule those who acknowledge them. This is very unfortunate for they cannot even see their own suffering.

Gah, I really needed this, thanks so much!!

Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:47 pm

Nirguna the Heart

This may not work for you, but this is how I would go about it.

I would consider that if this person were free from suffering and its causes, then he would have no reason to steal from me or lie to me. If were totally wise and totally compassionate, he would not be involved in criminal activity and would, instead, be helping others to also become liberated from ignorance.

And so, for the benefit of all living beings, I would generate compassion for him because, under the influence of ignorance and karma, he is not wise or compassionate and is, instead, suffering in a way that causes him to steal and lie. These factors of ignorance and karma are difficult to recognize - not everyone wants to recognize them or deal with them; many disbelieve in them and ridicule those who acknowledge them. This is very unfortunate for they cannot even see their own suffering.

May he come to realize his suffering and its causes
May he come to cultivate happiness and its causes
May he be free from suffering and its causes
May he abide in equanimity, free from ignorance
May he never be parted from upper rebirth's excellent bliss

How does having compassion for one person benefit all people? Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand that.

Conan The Barbie Doll

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Tenzin Chodron
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:07 am

Conan The Barbie Doll

How does having compassion for one person benefit all people? Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand that.

No worries. The way I see it, if I generate the wish for someone to become totally wise and compassionate, then the fulfillment of that wish would benefit all living beings. If he were to become a bodhisattva or a completely perfected buddha, then he, by his very nature, would be of the greatest possible benefit to all beings.

So having compassion for one person necessarily translates into having compassion for all beings, due to the nature of causality.

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:38 am

You shouldn't be too angry cause all the person did was steal a few objects that are all just temporary. Its nothing to get angry about, yes he stole something of yours but unless it is something very close to you, like something that has been passed down through your family it shouldn't be that big of a deal XP.

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