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Karma and Criticism
Oct. 12th, 2006 12:59 pmAccording to Gyaltrul Rinpoche's teachings on Vajrasattva in 1986, if someone criticizes your faults publicly and you manage to not get angry, then the karma of that fault will be purified. Even if what's said is completely unfair and untrue, it would probably still be purifying some old past karma. (I don't think you have to be passive, but often responding won't help.)
If everything that's said about your faults is true, then you have to be careful to have as much compassion and gentleness for yourself as you would have for your closest friend or your cat. We're all human, and we all have faults, and it takes time and effort to work through them. The difference is that angry people say you "are" this way as if it (or anything) is a permanent state. The truth is, as a friend of mine told me last Friday, nothing is permanent. When you were 12, were you anything like how you are today? She said she had no concept of what she would be like in ten years.
This is why hatred, greed, ignorance, etc., are called "maras" or "demons." When you watch it even looks like a demonic swirl.
According to Rinpoche, a crowd of "enemies" can be more beneficial than gentle friends, because it can force you to go back to something like Buddhism to deal with your responses. H.H. Dalai Lama calls communist China his greatest teacher. For my part, I've been very lazy about Dharma for a long time. But it's not beneficial to them so I'm sorry about that. Other than practice, I'm not sure what one can do, other than to not prod it.
Oh. There is a practice one can do even if you're busy. What you do is breathe in (through your nose, slowly) all their negativity and anger into yourself. And don't leave anyone out, include Bush, Iraq, everyone. Visualize it pulling away from them and all of the suffering and misery they're creating is brought into yourself. Consider they are completely freed from it and any suffering.They're happy and content, freed of all negativity and causes for future negativity.
Then, slowly (through your nose again), you breath out all your good karma, good fortune, happiness, even the good created by doing the practice, and so they're lives are filled with good conditions, and they're completely happy and content.
It's connected to compassion (wishing others to be free of suffering) and kindness (wishing others to be happy). It's also connected to equanimity because most of the time, okay, at least most of my problems in life are caused when I want myself to be happy and I don't care much about the happiness of others. Other people are probably more compassionate than me.
( Ponlop Rinpoche taught in 2001 that if you mean well, most of your karma comes from your intention. )
If everything that's said about your faults is true, then you have to be careful to have as much compassion and gentleness for yourself as you would have for your closest friend or your cat. We're all human, and we all have faults, and it takes time and effort to work through them. The difference is that angry people say you "are" this way as if it (or anything) is a permanent state. The truth is, as a friend of mine told me last Friday, nothing is permanent. When you were 12, were you anything like how you are today? She said she had no concept of what she would be like in ten years.
This is why hatred, greed, ignorance, etc., are called "maras" or "demons." When you watch it even looks like a demonic swirl.
According to Rinpoche, a crowd of "enemies" can be more beneficial than gentle friends, because it can force you to go back to something like Buddhism to deal with your responses. H.H. Dalai Lama calls communist China his greatest teacher. For my part, I've been very lazy about Dharma for a long time. But it's not beneficial to them so I'm sorry about that. Other than practice, I'm not sure what one can do, other than to not prod it.
Oh. There is a practice one can do even if you're busy. What you do is breathe in (through your nose, slowly) all their negativity and anger into yourself. And don't leave anyone out, include Bush, Iraq, everyone. Visualize it pulling away from them and all of the suffering and misery they're creating is brought into yourself. Consider they are completely freed from it and any suffering.They're happy and content, freed of all negativity and causes for future negativity.
Then, slowly (through your nose again), you breath out all your good karma, good fortune, happiness, even the good created by doing the practice, and so they're lives are filled with good conditions, and they're completely happy and content.
It's connected to compassion (wishing others to be free of suffering) and kindness (wishing others to be happy). It's also connected to equanimity because most of the time, okay, at least most of my problems in life are caused when I want myself to be happy and I don't care much about the happiness of others. Other people are probably more compassionate than me.
( Ponlop Rinpoche taught in 2001 that if you mean well, most of your karma comes from your intention. )
