[Centurnion]

Here we go

This is one of the hardest things I am finding in Buddhism generally. It has a lot to do with my upbringing and societal context (As much as I can say that without apportioning blame), and I am sure many of you are the same.

there are just some things that arise in my mind that I find unacceptable. There are things going on in the world that I find unacceptable. Racism, sectarianism, to name merely two.

How does one find it in oneself to find an open, compassionate space for the things one finds unbearable and unacceptable?

[Dominick Yo]

How does one find it in oneself to find an open, compassionate space for the things one finds unbearable and unacceptable?

These days it seems to be very pc to worry about this sort of stuff.
To make this an impossible question to answer we need to also consider what is unbearable/unacceptable to one is ok to another.
You could spend the rest of your life on this...or...you can just cut through it all.
So which is it to be?
Is it all or nothing?

[Kinds Of Pain Meds]

A great question.
I wonder about issues like these. In the 80's, I was soldier, a medic. I thought I could provide medical care and not have to shoot anyone. During my training with combat veterans, I was informed the medic's red cross armband simply made to easier for someone to put you in their crosshairs. They told me medics end up fighting, if nothing else, to save their patients.
I was fortunate. I never had to make that choice in real life. My duty consisted on hospitals and clinics.
Still, I saw enough, and was out after one tour.

Frank, respectfully,...
"So which is it to be?
Is it all or nothing?"
...Is it that simple?

Metta to you all,
Bill

[JacksHH]

...Is it that simple?

Bill when you get down to it,it really does come this.
Of course it's very pc these days to make a lot of suffering out of stuff. But look through that to what the point of life is.
Yes odf course in the samsaric world gender rights/child rights/racial rights/human rights/etc.etc are important,but only because we have for ever allowed ourselves to be exploited. These matters are now,belatedly coming home to roost.
None of this effects one's Spiritual Path...practise,practise,practise. The world will doubtlessly go to hell in it's own sweet way,...practise,practise,practise.

[Mehntswx]

The goal of Buddhism isn't about meeting hatred with more hatred, its about letting go of our own hatred and other emotional obscurations and regarding the world with non-discriminating wisdom, compassion and equanimity.

Its hard to understand this when we are still on the path and have strong emotions,of course. Highly emotional reactions to situations are rarely helpful for oneself or others however. Various practices to generate compassion and loving kindness(metta) towards other sentient beings can be helpful with this as well as meditation and present-moment mindfulness.

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to give non-violent help wherever we can of course.

" Conquer anger with non-anger;
Conquer wickedness with goodness;
Conquer stinginess with giving,
And a liar with truth.''

and

"Guard against anger erupting in your mind;
Be restrained with your mind.
Letting go of mental misconduct,
Practice good conduct with your mind."

(Dhammapada Ch 17 -verses 223 and 232)


and MN 9 V.7 ....Buddha said :

" Non-hate is a root of the wholesome "

[Shipsyspeepay]

I do entertain thoughts of hurting people to show them what it's like.

I know why it gets you angry dude but it's more important to understand the minds of violence and anger which lead people to commit such crimes, as generate more hatred within your own mind.

That's in no way to justify their deeds, or 'accept' them but in order to counter them it is necessary to do so from an altogether different place.

[KernJetenue]

For many years I devoted my life to social activism. Since I was very young I was commited to social issues. I learnt a lot being there. I had very deep undestandings and I leave that commitment for reasons far beyond the scope of this thread.

I am still commited with social issues but now with a very different attitude. I do not hold any anger nor I am attached to personal view about things as I want have to be as it happend in that past life.

I feel far from evishoning beautifull societies with smileing nice hippie people loving endessly each other. I accept things as they are and in that mood is that I still work now for social issues.

My work in a female prision is giving me a lot of this understanding. Belive me, I had drop tears, and still I do, with the people in there... with the female jailers and with the female prisioneers. Both have a lot of suffering and both are neither bad nor good. They are there and I do what I have to do.

[lmHVYs8e]

Kaarine, my daughter is a psychologist in the US - Raleigh North Carolina. As part of the requirements for her license, she spent one year as a counselor in a woman's high security prison ( many of the woman had killed someone and were serving life terms). As you, she found the experience to be very touching and moving and states that she considers it good fortune to have been in that setting. She still communicates with people there even though she has been away from it for over 7 years. Her attitude: even though these woman had committed serious crimes, most had many good qualities as well.

[seodiary]

from post #12

Hello plogsties dear,

As with your daughter, this work has given me so much understanding about acceptance and things as they are. It has been a very hard and meaningfull experience for me, my practice of the Dharma and the way I am understanding life facts.

The job is hard, the environment of my workplace is hard too, but as your daughter, I have found in the women and in the jailers good qualities what I can call the Buddha Nature.

I am a cultural anthropologyst and I am there because a research proyect about "Cultural Accepted Violence" but I am trying to have be hire there as a woker. Fot that I am planing to do a Social Psychology degree.

In Zen tradition we are told and we have to learn and practice about the non existence of good or bad in life and also with people. We are told to learn and practice the understanding that nobody is neither good nor bad at all and even the most evil situation or person we meet is a teaching. That any kind of situation or choice we took in our life is also a teaching, part of our spiritual path. Also that there are no wrong or right choices because if we took them, then it has been taken and that is a learning any time we are aware of it and its consecuences. This is a very Chan/Zen attitude toward life.

The women I am attending for the proyect purposes are learning... maybe much more about an spiritual path that many other people.

This work has been a wonderfull, hard, difficult and touching experience I have had in my life.

Thansk for shearing your daughter's experience.

[thakitt]

from post #14

Wondrfull andyrobyn dear,

It is realy a very encouraging ]http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries.com/img/smilies/read.gif[/img]

Thanks,

[23InetrySypekek]

from post #14

This sort of thing can fetch tears to my eyes,a really great link,thanks.
(You gave two links but the second doesn't work on my computer can you please send again. Thanks)

[!!Aaroncheg]

from post #17

Thanks andyrobyn, the ]http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries.com/img/smilies/hands.gif[/img]

[hitaEtela]

I think there are other Buddhist traditions also doing prison dharma in the USA and Europe .

Here's a Zen one:

URL

Another different one here:

URL

[HRCPda7R]

from post #17

Wow... it is a very hard article this one by Bo Flack.

Moves me a lot of things... Not exactly about a war scenario but a war in the heart of the women (inmates) and jailers wich are participants of a research proyect about "Cultural Accepted Violence" that is an issue of the prision anthropology research field.

Part of this proyect has a workshop and part of the workshop is about awakening about this accepted violence in their life. And part of this awakening is made with the aid of the Eightfold Noble Path and the Four Noble Truths. Also my Zen Roshi has given them a few teishos and some gidence to zazen.

It is early to tell about good news but we are still with enthusiasm about this.

Thanks again andyrobyn for your gentle gesture with that ]http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries.com/img/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[w4HPpbSW]

from post #19

Thanks Aloka dear,

[Katoabralia]

I think it might be helpful now if we return to Slaribartfast's question for us post #1

"This is one of the hardest things I am finding in Buddhism generally. It has a lot to do with my upbringing and societal context (As much as I can say that without apportioning blame), and I am sure many of you are the same.

there are just some things that arise in my mind that I find unacceptable. There are things going on in the world that I find unacceptable. Racism, sectarianism, to name merely two.

How does one find it in oneself to find an open, compassionate space for the things one finds unbearable and unacceptable "

[dodsCooggipsedebt]

How does one find it in oneself to find an open, compassionate space for the things one finds unbearable and unacceptable?

It's a bit of a cliche but true, I think, nonetheless. If you can acknowledge and make friends with all your own unbearable traits then you'll find other peoples' easier to forgive too. Very often we want to change other people when we find our own imperfections unacceptable. Those folk who are most tolerant of others are usually those who have looked into their own hearts and accepted everything they find there with kindness and understanding. Things don't have to be the way we want for us to make peace with them.

[aabbaDE]

Gradual training.

Compassion for friends --> loved ones --> strangers --> those to whom you are averse.

Be ardent and resolute!

(Yes, friends before loved ones; loved ones offer a subtle attachment which must be overcome for Noble Compassion.)

[KlaraNovikoffa]

Things don't have to be the way we want for us to make peace with them.

I like this one... sounds very Zen to me. And this is a first step toward acceptance. To accept, I feel, has nothing to do to alow such things as racism and others to happen... to accept, in buddhist terms, is a result of the practice of compasion, a right view and a dispasionate attitude.

Of course the happening of those things can make you angry or sad... and you have to act with power and spirit, but aftre knowing about your anger or sadness you return to a dispasionate attitude so that what ever you can do can be done with acceptance.

I know how difficult can be this.

In my personal experience I have to witness the roughness of jailers against the female inmantes. I have to keep a dispasionate attitude and understand both parts. Both are suffering. Both are conffused and blind and both need an aid to awake to their suffering.

Again, this is very hard.

[OnlineViagraCheapestFREE]

from post #25

Yes dear Sobeh, it is a good practice...