Greed is wanting things 

to occur as we wish.

Anger arises when we fail 

to obtain what we want.

One of the many wonders of the Pure Land is that all beings there are selfless and gentle. Anger simply does not exist as the causes for anger are wholly absent. How very different from our world, where we regularly encounter anger in a variety of forms including impatience, irritability, exasperation, sarcasm, and, yes, sometimes even rage. To help us achieve rebirth in the Pure Land, we would do well to attain the level of equanimity where we remain calm and in control when encountering the anger in this world.

It is not that we do not care about the issues that lead people to anger.

We do.

But we understand the principle that anger arises when desires are unfulfilled and  expectations not met. By letting go of craving and expectations, we begin to let go of anger.

Learning is like going upstream in a boat: 

if we do not advance, we fall back. 

It is the same with cultivation; 

if we do not progress, we regress.

Learning and cultivation need to be done daily. While a few hours are the goal, this is not practical for many people. Thus, setting aside a few hours on the weekend can feel more achievable. But even if such a weekend schedule can be met, the benefits are reduced.

First, we have not had the daily chanting that calms us and strengthens our connection to Amitabha Buddha.

Second, cultivation is more than formal practice; cultivation is applying the teachings every day.

Third, there is a sense of accomplishment in setting a goal and meeting it.

And fourth, daily teachings—even brief ones—help keep us on course in our cultivation so we understand why things happened and how we are to proceed. 

I’m Finished!

That’s what Matt’s grandmother said.

Well actually, what she said was “I’m finished smoking!” I liked that she said this instead of “I’m quitting smoking.”

Matt's grandmother understood that it’s not only important to do the right things; it’s also important how we tell ouselves we'll do them. How committed we are to doing them.

A quitter is someone who gives up easily or lacks the courage and determination to complete something. Hardly an image we’d choose for ourselves.

But a finisher is someone who, having courage and determination, completes what she started.

When I quit something, I can always go back to it. I can quit my job, but not finding another I can return and ask to be re-hired. I can quit school, but not finding anything to do, I can decide to return the next semester. I can quit eating junk food to get healthier, but after getting a better doctor's report I can resume eating all that fun food I deprived myself of!

When I finish my job, it’s done. Over. When I finish school, I have the education that I wanted and now can move on to whatever is next in my life. When I’m finished eating junk food, I’ve eliminated my addiction to sugar, salt, and harmful fats, and instead prefer good tasting food that keeps me healthy and energetic.

Quitting is negative and can be short-lived.

Finishing is positive and final.

So, I’m finished getting angry. I’m finished replaying past events that make me sad. I’m finished putting my own interests ahead of others.

I’m not quitting the bad stuff—I’m finished with the bad stuff.

And I’m moving on to a happier future. 

What Do I Do?

It can be very difficult to decide what to do when so much of what we encounter in life is “grey,” and so little is “black and white.” When faced with many choices, and none seem to clearly be the right one, it can help to remind ourselves that we will end up doing what is destined to happen.

While some may view this is a license to dismiss unpleasantness (it was destined to happen!) and consider themselves off the hook; in reality they’re not. The part we play in the current unfolding destiny will go towards creating our own future destiny and thus is vitally important.

Did I hurt the person because I was angry and didn't care what I said, and so the event unfolded as destined?

Or did I hurt the person because no matter how much I cared and tried to act wisely, my efforts failed and so the event unfolded as destined?

If I do the first, I’m walking the path of more suffering.

If I do the second, I am on the path of reducing my future suffering.

It's Not Fair!

A generous, caring friend recently attended a meeting at which another volunteer was removed from his position. Apparently a power struggle had taken place and things were not done openly, or honorably.

My friend was trying to deal with the deception she had witnessed to figure out how to help the injured party who was angry and suffering. She asked me for my thoughts on the situation and if there was a lesson to be drawn from what had happened.

To me, the situation attested to the working of karma.

A person who had been doing what was good and who helped others was mistreated by people he trusted. It was felt that while he was not a saint, he had certainly not planted the cause for such treachery in his current lifetime. So how had this happened?

Certain karmic seeds that he had planted in past lifetimes encountered activating conditions in this lifetime. The seeds, the causes, matured and he met with deception. Since he could not remember those causes he had planted in his past lifetimes, he suffered in this lifetime without knowing the reason why. It all seemed so unfair. 

What happened actually was fair in the sense that he had indeed planted the seeds for the deception he encountered. What happened was tragic however in that the people who betrayed the person's loyalty and dedication did not act honestly. And they knew this. And they have now planted the seeds for deception in their own futures.

And when it comes, they will not know why. And they will be angry and will suffer.

And on and on it goes.

Knowing this will not change the current situation but it may help those in it to lessen their suffering through understanding. We cannot undue what we did in the past. But we can understand where karmic consequences arise from and figure out how to not plant those bad seeds again. For those that we already planted—and they are uncountable and without measure—we try to control the activating conditions by continuing to do what is right even when it is difficult to do so.

And even when others do not seem to appreciate our efforts.

Other’s reactions, their appreciation, do not matter.

What matters is why and how we do something.