5. When others, out of jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.
This verse literally translates to: If someone is jealous of you and talking smack about you, you should learn to turn the other cheek and surrender to them. In today’s society, if one were to surrender to everybody that does wrong to them, he or she would be eaten up by people around them. However, I believe that this verse holds a significant, timeless lesson that we should not harbor hard feelings towards the person that slanders us out of jealousy. Instead, we should offer them the victory because their feeling of jealousy is, in a way, a compliment to us. Offering them the victory could be doing something like paying them a compliment or sharing some of your talent – or whatever they are jealous of you for – with them, like we discussed when Ven. Tenzin Kacho came to visit. To me, this verse is a reminder that we should not hate or mistreat those that may mistreat us. Take the higher road by ignoring their abuse or helping them out sharing what they envy most about you with them.
8. Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns,
By perceiving all phenomena as illusory,
I will practice without grasping to release all beings
From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma.
By practicing these verses, without being affected by the eight worldly concerns: pleasures/pain, loss/gain, fame/shame, and praise/blame, we could be released from the “disturbing, unsubdued mind and karma.” This concluding verse simply informs us that by taking heed of these verses, we can be enlightened if we are not affected by the concerns of the world. By not desiring pleasure or fearing pain; by not caring about loss or gain; by not being affected by shame or wanting fame; by not trying to gain praise and rid blame, you can become enlightened. Being enlightened in this sense is being above worldly concerns. I think that the line “I will practice…to release all beings” means that when a person practices these eight verses, he or she can teach others to do so as well so that they can be free from the “disturbing unsubdued mind,” which represents the worldly concerns. And being free from karma means being free from the ties to the world. Anyways, to make it short, this last verse tells us that by taking heed of these eight verses of thought transformation, one can become closer to achieving enlightenment.
- Secretary Vivien
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Reactions to the 8 Verses of Thought Transformation and 5 Remembrances
5. When others, out of jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.
Every time I read this verse, I always contemplate what it means to “practice accepting defeat” and “offering the victory”. Does it mean to accept what they have said and move on or to simply just avoid and ignore them altogether? For example, if somebody insults or abuses me, I would get angry but get over it or ignore what they have said, because I believe I should be the “bigger” person by not saying or doing anything at all. Does that mean I have accepted defeat and offered them the victory because I have decided to not “fight” back? If the answer is “yes”, then I think “accepting defeat” and “offering the victory to them” mean to let go of your ego by not getting angry and retaliating when somebody talks bad about you.
6. When someone I have benefited
And in whom I have placed great trust
Hurts me very badly,
I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher.
If somebody I have helped and trusted betrayed or backstabbed me, I would get angry and would definitely never see that person as “my supreme teacher”. Hence it's very hard for me to practice this, but what does it really mean to be one's supreme teacher? For instance, is the person a supreme teacher because he/she is teaching us to be accepting and patient instead of being furious? If so, I think “seeing that person as my supreme teacher” means to be patient and to learn that nobody is perfect because they are just normal people like us.
These two verses definitely relate with each other because they both deal with people hurting you and learning to let go and be patient. Thus to me, they are very hard to accomplish but I know they will be extremely valuable when I do though. So I just want to thank Venerable Tenzin Kacho for introducing and discussing these 8 Verses of Thought Transformation with us.
- Treasurer Lisa
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.
Every time I read this verse, I always contemplate what it means to “practice accepting defeat” and “offering the victory”. Does it mean to accept what they have said and move on or to simply just avoid and ignore them altogether? For example, if somebody insults or abuses me, I would get angry but get over it or ignore what they have said, because I believe I should be the “bigger” person by not saying or doing anything at all. Does that mean I have accepted defeat and offered them the victory because I have decided to not “fight” back? If the answer is “yes”, then I think “accepting defeat” and “offering the victory to them” mean to let go of your ego by not getting angry and retaliating when somebody talks bad about you.
6. When someone I have benefited
And in whom I have placed great trust
Hurts me very badly,
I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher.
If somebody I have helped and trusted betrayed or backstabbed me, I would get angry and would definitely never see that person as “my supreme teacher”. Hence it's very hard for me to practice this, but what does it really mean to be one's supreme teacher? For instance, is the person a supreme teacher because he/she is teaching us to be accepting and patient instead of being furious? If so, I think “seeing that person as my supreme teacher” means to be patient and to learn that nobody is perfect because they are just normal people like us.
These two verses definitely relate with each other because they both deal with people hurting you and learning to let go and be patient. Thus to me, they are very hard to accomplish but I know they will be extremely valuable when I do though. So I just want to thank Venerable Tenzin Kacho for introducing and discussing these 8 Verses of Thought Transformation with us.
- Treasurer Lisa
Reactions to the 8 Verses of Thought Transformation and 5 Remembrances
3. In all actions I will examine my mind
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself and others,
I will firmly confront and avert it.
My mind has both the power to heal and harm others as well as myself. I must avoid distress by maintaining an internal peace. The phrase “confront and AVERT” is odd because those two actions are usually for different intentions. “Confront” would naturally seems to pair with “counter” or “dominate.” The use of aversion suits a buddhist’s tongue as a more pacifist action. To avert the attitude would respect its existence within the mind as a natural feeling.
4. Whenever I meet a person of bad nature
Who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering,
I will hold such a rare one dear,
As if I had found a precious treasure.
I must be assuming that no one would normally face such calamity, given that one such person is so rare. He or she must be facing these negativities through his or her own pessimism and habit. Possibly, my considerations and concerns for that person will bring some comfort and light, and the comfort will change his or her attitude and aura.
-Publicist Robert
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself and others,
I will firmly confront and avert it.
My mind has both the power to heal and harm others as well as myself. I must avoid distress by maintaining an internal peace. The phrase “confront and AVERT” is odd because those two actions are usually for different intentions. “Confront” would naturally seems to pair with “counter” or “dominate.” The use of aversion suits a buddhist’s tongue as a more pacifist action. To avert the attitude would respect its existence within the mind as a natural feeling.
4. Whenever I meet a person of bad nature
Who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering,
I will hold such a rare one dear,
As if I had found a precious treasure.
I must be assuming that no one would normally face such calamity, given that one such person is so rare. He or she must be facing these negativities through his or her own pessimism and habit. Possibly, my considerations and concerns for that person will bring some comfort and light, and the comfort will change his or her attitude and aura.
-Publicist Robert
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