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"He who smiles rather than
rages is always the stronger."
- Japanese Proverb.
You simply have to be calm and
smile. Show you are not taking on his crap - neither feeling scared/suffering
nor making him suffer.
Be unaffected. As Buddha said:
nothing can affect you since you are not just a superficial body and
personality. A scratch won’t harm you and anything in this world is a mere
scratch to the spirit.
Your worst enemy cannot harm you
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.
But once mastered,
No one can help you as much,
Not even your father or your mother.
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.
But once mastered,
No one can help you as much,
Not even your father or your mother.
- Buddha.
Surrenderance, the word invented by
the wonderful Avatar Meher Baba.
Surrender: cease will, desire,
resistance. Be - and centre all in harmony.
AThe
resistance to the unpleasant situation is the root of suffering.@ - Ram Dass.
Teenage
Caine (Keith
Carradine): Can the weaker be the stronger.
Master
Kan (Philip Ahn): See the way of life
as a stream. A man floats and his way is smooth. The same man turning to fight
upstream exhausts himself. To be one with the universe, each must find his true
path, and follow it.
-
Kung Fu (Season 1, Episode 9,
‘Chains’, 1973).
Positive Response. How to meet evil
with good by Acharya Buddharakkhita (A Buddhist Publication Society
booklet, Sri Lanka, 1987).
Buddha says: Even if they are sawing
off your limbs, still you send positive love and energy, not react or resent.
Remember this when facing a lesser violation.
The
Buddha teaches the monk Phagguna (in The
Parable of the Saw):
‘There, Phagguna, you should train
yourself thus: ‘Neither shall my mind be affected by this, nor shall I give
vent to evil words; but I shall remain full of concern and pity, with a mind of
love, and I shall not give in to hatred’...‘Phagguna, if anyone were to
reproach you right to your face, even then you should abandon those urges and
thoughts which are worldly. There,
Phagguna, you should train yourself thus: ‘Neither shall my mind be affected by
this, not shall I give vent to evil words; but I shall remain full of concern
and pity, with a mind of love, and I shall not give in to hatred.’ This is how,
Phagguna, you should train yourself…
Phagguna,
if anyone were to give you a blow with the hand, or hit you with a clod of
earth, or with a stick, or with a sword, even then you should abandon those
urges and thoughts which are worldly. There Phagguna, you should train yourself
thus: ‘Neither shall my mind be affected by this, nor shall I give vent to evil
words; but I shall remain full of concern and pity, with a mind of love, and I
shall not give in to hatred.’ This is how, Phagguna, you should train
yourself.’
(p.2-4).
The Parable of the Saw
‘Monks, even if bandits were to
savagely sever you, limb by limb, with a double-handled saw, even then, whoever
of you harbours ill will at heart would not be upholding my Teaching. Monks, even
in such a situation you should train yourselves thus: ‘Neither shall our minds
be affected by this, nor for this matter shall we give vent to evil words, but
we shall remain full of concern and pity, with a mind of love, and we shall not
give in to hatred. On the contrary, we shall live projecting thoughts of
universal love to that very person, making him as well as the whole world the
object of our thoughts of universal love - thoughts that have grown great,
exalted and measureless. We shall dwell radiating these thoughts which are void
of hostility and ill will.’ It is in this way, monks, that you should train
yourselves.’
‘Monks,
if you should keep this instruction on the Parable of the Saw constantly in
mind, do you see any mode of speech, subtle or gross, that you could not
endure?’
‘No,
Lord.’
‘Therefore,
monks, you should keep this instruction on the Parable of the Saw constantly in mind. That will conduce to your
well-being and happiness for long indeed.’
(p.16-17).
The
five modes of speech
‘Monks, some might speak to you
using speech that is timely or untimely; monks, some might speak to you
according to truth or falsely; monks, some might speak to you gently or
harshly; monks, some might speak to you with a good motive or with a harmful motive;
monks, some might speak to you with a loving heart or with hostility. On all
occasions, monks, you should train yourselves thus: ‘Neither shall our minds be
affected by this...’ etc.
(p.9-10).
One’s consciousness is deep and
without measure. It is vast, formless. Surface assaults, therefore, cannot
affect the true, whole, real you. And, you can train yourself to be centred in
your spirit, in reality, in the true Self, and remain unaffected. It is the
idea to aspire to, at least, and it is through striving and trying that we make
progress, whatever degree of success we attain.
Empty
Space
The Buddha offers an example of
positive response using the analogy of an aggressor armed with paints who
attempts to make a painting appear on empty space, having targeted the
unaffected person. A monk agrees that it is impossible and that the perpetrator
‘will only reap weariness and frustration.’
(p.11-12).
Another example:
The
River Ganges
The
Buddha: Suppose,
monks, a person were to come holding a burning grass-torch, and he were to say:
‘With this burning grass-torch, I shall set fire to and scorch this river Ganges.’ What do you think, monks, could that person set
fire to and scorch the river Ganges with a
grass-torch?
Monk: No, indeed not, most venerable
sir.
The
Buddha: And why
not?
Monk: Because, most venerable sir, the
river Ganges is deep and without measure. It
is not possible to set fire to and scorch the river Ganges
with a burning grass-torch. On the contrary, that person will only reap
weariness and frustration.
(p.13).
Excerpts
from ‘Bharadvaja the Abusive’ (Akkosa Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya, 7:2).
[An enraged Brahmin who had a
prejudice against the Buddha because he had been born into a lower caste once
reviled the Buddha to his face in front of the king, the nobles and ministers].
When the Buddha remained completely
unruffled, projecting thoughts of loving-kindness, the Brahmin stopped abusing
him. But he was still peevish.
Now
the Buddha asked him: ‘My friend, if somebody visits you, and you offer food
which he refuses, who gets it?’
‘If
the visitor doesn’t accept it, I will get it back because I offered it to him.’
‘Since
I don’t accept your abuse, to whom will it return?’
The
Brahmin was so moved by the tremendous implication of this analogy that he fell
at the feet of the Buddha and sought to be ordained as a monk. Soon after his
ordination he attained Arahatship. The Buddha had transformed him by his
positive approach...
Such
was the tremendous impact which the Buddha’s positive response wrought even on
the most hostile persons. The Tripitaka is replete with such instances.
(p.19-20).
[Another version] “‘Even so,
Brahmin, you are abusing us who do not abuse, you are angry with us who do not
get angry, you are quarrelling with us who do not quarrel. All this of yours we
don’t accept. You alone, Brahmin, get it back; all this, Brahmin, belongs to
you.
‘When,
Brahmin, one abuses back when abused, repays anger in kind, and quarrels back
when quarrelled with, this is called, Brahmin, associating with each other and
exchanging mutually. This association and mutual exchange we do not engage in.
Therefore you alone, Brahmin, get it back; all this, Brahmin, belongs to you.’
...Said
the Buddha: ‘...He who repays an angry man in kind is worse than the angry man
who does not repay anger in kind. He alone wins the battle hard to win. He
promotes the weal of both, his own as well as of the other. Knowing that the
other man is angry, he mindfully maintains his peace and endures the anger of
both, his own as well as of the other. Even if the people ignorant of true
wisdom consider him a fool thereby.’
(p.22-23).
I only ever wanted the neighbours to
wake up and realise they were being too loud and making my life hell (not
realising that they simply don’t care!).
“Lao Tzu also clearly points out the
importance of non-violence, but many people lose their tempers when things do
not go their way. The loss of spiritual qualities such as patience and tolerance make people take a violent emotional path.
This is the true root of evil. Evil does not necessarily have a deep evil
nature. Most people become evil because
of a pattern of emotional violence, and many people commit emotional violence
toward themselves. That is why harmony, purity and quietness are taught in the Tao Te Ching. These will eventually
resolve or reform personal emotional violence...
More
important, we also need to develop wisdom as our inner subtle light and should
harmonise this with whomsoever we come into contact. We must never make anyone
feel inferior or unsafe around us, but instead make them feel supported.
And, finally, follow a natural way of life like the developed ones. That does
not mean you need to live as a primitive person. A spiritually achieved one is
not a special person of external distinction. He harmonises with the natural
environment and does not appear as a miracle performer or special being. He is
one who embraces Oneness, that is, the spiritual essence. In one’s personal
cultivation, oneness is the simple essence of one’s own being. The thing of
importance in our cultivation is to embrace one’s spiritual essence.”
-
Hua Ching Ni,
Taoist Master (Workbook For Spiritual
Development, SevenStar Communication Group, CA., U.S., 1983).
When the sound of thunder comes in
the form of someone’s ignorant behaviour, their selfishness, anger and
oppressive attitudes, listen to it; just quietly observe it. Don’t be scared of
it. Embrace it but without reacting to it. Feel the inner indifference of the
still pool within which remains settled and calm. You will then know more
deeply the contrast between outer disturbances in the material realm of
illusion and the inner peace of the soul as it is beyond the layers of subconscious
conditioning. (An insight that came to me in the bath one day!).
“Whatever we plant in our
subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a
reality.” - Earl Nightingale.
L’agonie dans ses mains Ashe Alder
Retrospective
inserts.
“Quantum physics reveals what
ancient masters knew; matter does not exist! Aristotle's philosophy led to the
creation of the concept of substance. The world's ills are caused by the belief
that the substance of the universe is matter. This belief leads to a fear-greed
dichotomy and a scarcity mentality [“as people in their quiet desperation
attempt to accumulate as many material possessions and riches possible”]. In
fact, the substance of the universe is consciousness! Therefore, it is
behaviour that is important as we mould and form our reality from the living
fabric of the consciousness of creation.” - James J. Traitz (quotations taken
from a YouTube video and Mr. Traitz’s MySpace page, July 2008).
Osho says we think we are inhabiting
a body but, in reality, the physical body dwells in us - in the many layers of
consciousness that we are.
Another Buddha
story.
“Once an angry man came to Buddha and without
saying a word spat on him.
Buddha,
unperturbed, wiped off the spit and said to the man, ‘Is there something more
you would like to say to me friend?’
Buddha's
disciple Anand, looked at his Guru in surprise! Instead of reprimanding the
offender his Guru was showering sympathy on him.
The
angered man was himself taken aback as he had come prepared for the worst. But
Buddha had addressed him as 'friend' and in utter shame he went away.
Buddha
saw the questioning look on Anand's face and said, ‘When words fail, an angry
man expresses himself in strange ways! His spitting at me also was a language.
In contrast, when a man's heart is overflowing with joy he holds another to his
heart.
This
too is a kind of language!’
Next
day, the offender, full of remorse returned to the place where he had only the
previous day insulted Buddha, and begged for his forgiveness.
Buddha
smiled compassionately and said, ‘My friend, much time has elapsed between
yesterday and today. Such water has flown under the bridge. Do not waste your
time on what has happened. Live in the present. At the most do not repeat the
performance! You spat at me, I wiped it off. That was the end of it.’"
- Osho.
Unless there is an adequate
expression of power - fire - from you, it’s more like the earth element, which
is a slower, more placid vibration and therefore stimulates the more aggressive
person’s ego, encouraging the attacker to display power. The sparks grow louder
and more confident. You have to display more power in some way; a higher
vibration of energy. This book is all about trying to accomplish this in as
positive a way as possible. Love is a high frequency of energy, or divine
power. What effect it has in third-dimensional existence, however, or on people
who are confined to the third and fourth densities, seems questionable in my
experience since it is also a subtle energy and one might not expect to see any
immediate results. Some people only respond to force and back off, however
temporarily, when one ‘speaks their language.’ In my situation with the
neighbours, I am very quiet so they become loud once they have forgotten the last
battle. I then generate more noise (something they do not like) in an attempt
to persuade them to respect my space. They don’t want to go too far because
they don’t want me shouting and swearing all the time (I presume). But,
clearly, laughter and playful mischief are also expressions of fire/pure
energy. The flame overpowers the sparks (egos). My neighbours evidently do not
like the sound of me being jolly and happy!
If people are angry with God they
might also be angry with those who know God and let the happiness in. Higher
Intelligences remind us that God is not responsible for our pain and that we
have not been abandoned. All that we have experienced has been our own choice
on some level. We will enjoy journeying out of the black hole we allowed ourselves
to fall into and the contrast is a cause for celebration. We turned away and
rejected everything as Archangel Gabriel explains (‘Breathe and Receive’
channelled through Alexander Clearheart). Rediscovering who we really are,
returning to eternal joy, to divine Love, is an experience that will launch us
into euphoric expansion as co-creators.
“Choices
and decisions may be made on your own, but growth does not have to be alone or
lonely. You can have help. You deserve help. God/Goddess/All That Is never
intended that life should be filled with struggle and strife. They never
intended that you should feel pain. The Physical Plane was intended to be a
celebration of exploration and a celebration of being alive.” - Lazaris (channelled through Jach Pursel, The Sacred Journey. You and your Higher
Self, NPN Publishing Inc., Florida, U.S., 1987, p.162).
ADo not argue with the contentious, nor provoke them with words.
Pause before those who interrupt and give way to those who verbally attack
you. Sleep a night before speaking. For
the unrestrained person is like a storm which bursts forth like a flame in a
pile of straw.@- Proverb from the ancient Khemetic (Egyptian) Book Of Amenomope, an excerpt from The Husia).
"The greater the obstacle, the
more glory in overcoming it." - Moliere.
“Where you
are trying the hardest to control your life is where you are most stuck. The
very fact that you are attempting control indicates not only that you are stuck
in that particular area, but also a lack of gratitude for that one area as
well. Want to get things moving again? Surrender the situation and find the
blessings that always exist if you have the eyes to see them. That is the way
to shift back into the flow and align with the movement and magic the universe
is sure to bring.” - Archangel Gabriel (channelled through Shelley Young, 2
July 2012, www.trinityesoterics.wordpress.com).
"The
human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter." - Mark
Twain.
(Who is it?)
It is a friend of mine
(Who is it?) Is it my brother?
(Who is it?)
Somebody hurt my soul now
(Who is it?)
I can't take this stuff no more
I am the damned
I am the dead
I am the agony inside the dying head
This is injustice
Woe unto thee
I pray this punishment would have mercy on me
It is a friend of mine
(Who is it?) Is it my brother?
(Who is it?)
Somebody hurt my soul now
(Who is it?)
I can't take this stuff no more
I am the damned
I am the dead
I am the agony inside the dying head
This is injustice
Woe unto thee
I pray this punishment would have mercy on me
- Michael Jackson
(From 'Who Is It?' on the Dangerous album, Epic Records, 1992).
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