Healing Hatred...Dalai Lama

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Came across this wonderful discourse by Dalai Lama...

 

The destructive effects of hatred are very visible, very obvious and

immediate. For example, when a strong or forceful thought of hatred

arises, at that very instant it overwhelms one totally and destroys

one's peace and presence of mind. When that hateful thought is

harboured inside, it makes one feel tense and uptight, and can cause

loss of appetite, leading to loss of sleep, and so forth.

 

If we examine how anger or hateful thoughts arise in us, we will

find that, generally speaking, they arise when we feel hurt, when we

feel that we have been unfairly treated by someone against our

expectations. If in that instant we examine carefully the way anger

arises, there is a sense that it comes as a protector, comes as a

friend that would help our battle or in taking revenge against the

person who has inflicted harm on us. So the anger or hateful thought

that arises appears to come as a shield or a protector. But in

reality that is an illusion. It is a very delusory state of mind.

 

Chandrakirti states in Entry into the Middle Way that there might be

some justification for responding to force with force if revenge

would help one in any way, or prevent or reduce the harm which has

already been inflicted. But that is no the case because if the harm,

the physics. injury or whatever, has been inflicted, it has already

taken place. So taking revenge will not in any way reduce or prevent

that harm or injury because it has already happened.

 

On the contrary, if one reacts to a situation in a negative way

instead of in a tolerant way, not only is there no immediate

benefit, but also a negative attitude and feeling is created which

is the seed of one's future downfall. From the Buddhist point of

view, the consequence of taking revenge has to be faced by the

individual alone in his or he future life. So not only is there no

immediate benefit, it is harmful in the long run for the individual.

 

However, if one has been treated very unfairly and if the situation

is left unaddressed, it may have extremely negative consequences for

the perpetrator of the crime. Such a situation calls for a strong

counteraction. Under such circumstances, it is possible that one

can, out of compassion for the perpetrator of the crime and without

generating anger or hatred, actually take a strong stand and take

strong countermeasures. In fact, one of the precepts of the

Bodhisattva vows is to take strong countermeasures when the

situation calls for it. If a Bodhisattva doesn't take strong

countermeasures when the situation requires, then that constitutes

an infraction of one of the vows.

 

In addition, as the Entry into the Middle Way points out, not only

does the generation of hateful thoughts lead to undesirable forms of

existence in future lives, but also, at the moment that strong

feelings of anger arise, no matter how hard one tries to adopt a

dignified pose, one's face looks rather ugly. There is an unpleasant

expression, and the vibration that the person sends is very hostile.

People can sense it, and it is almost as if one can feel steam

coming out of that person's body. Indeed not only are human beings

capable of sensing it, but pets and other animals also try to avoid

that person at that instant.

These are the immediate consequences of hatred. It brings about a

very ugly, unpleasant physical transformation of the individual. In

addition, when such intense anger and hatred arise, it makes the

best part of our brain, which is the ability to judge between right

and wrong and assess long-term and short-term consequences, become

totally inoperable. It can no longer function. It is almost as if

the person had become crazy. These are the negative effects of

generating anger and hatred. When we think about these negative and

destructive effects of anger and hatred, we realise that it is

necessary to distance ourselves from such emotional explosions.

Insofar as the destructive effects of anger and hateful thoughts are

concerned, one cannot get protection from wealth; even if one is a

millionaire, one is subject to these destructive effects of anger

and hatred. Nor can education guarantee that one will be protected

from these effects. Similarly, the law cannot guarantee protection.

Even nuclear weapons, no matter how sophisticated the defence system

may be, cannot give one protection or defend one from these effects.

The only factor that can give refuge or protection from the

destructive effects of anger and hatred is the practice of tolerance

and patience.

 

 

Manoshi