February 23, 2024 Instead of feeling guilty for past wrongdoings,
we need to let go of the guilt
and chant “Amituofo.”
We’re supposed to understand causality—to know why bad things happen—and also not to blame others for our problems. With this understanding, we will be better able to create favorable conditions for our future.
And so, in our practice, we don’t just forgive others, we also need to forgive ourselves. We were just as ignorant as others then. And still are. So we need to recognize that we have done bad things and that we don’t want to repeat them.
There is also no need to beat ourselves up over having done them. Each of us needs to let go. Not just of the things we like, not just the good stuff. We also need to let go of our guilt and self-anger for what we did in the past. The past is done and over with while the future is yet to be created. The present is where we do the creating, where we focus our energy. Be firm with yourself, not angry.
And firmly—and mindfully— replace each negative thought with “Amituofo,” not just for ourselves, but for all beings.
February 13, 2024 Seeing people in trouble, we should not ignore them,
thinking it’s their karma,
their own doing.
Throughout our innumerable lifetimes, not knowing about or not truly understanding cause and effect, we have thought and acted without considering what could happen afterward. We were ignorant then. And we still are.
We were, and remain, like children, acting impulsively without any thought of consequences. Just as we empathize with the child who hurts herself falling out of a tree, we feel compassion for people who bring suffering upon themselves through their own actions. They are ignorant. Just like us.
To understand that suffering is brought about by one’s actions allows us to improve our behavior. It also helps us to deepen our compassion through the giving of fearlessness and of what we have. To dismiss suffering as the person’s own fault is to be judgmental, not compassionate.
No matter how powerful or old the other person is, they are actually children when it comes to realizing the pervasiveness of causality
Just like us.