Be skeptical when appropriate, . . .

Negative thoughts—

so many opportunities for a Dharma lesson!

As soon as you notice such a thought, it is an opportunity for a mini Dharma talk. Let’s say you’re angry. 

Lesson: Anger makes me cranky, not happy. It only plants seeds for more anger in my future. Current enmities stem from past enmities. If I add fuel to this fire, they will be even worse in the future.

Ask yourself where it is coming from. Might the anger be stemming from jealousy? If so, that’s another Dharma lesson. 

Lesson: He has the right conditions for what he did. I don’t. So what might his conditions be, and how do I create them? 

Or, maybe the negative thought arose from fear. Fear of you or someone you care about losing something. Yet another opportunity! 

Lesson: Whatever happens to me and whatever I have are determined by my previous karmas. No one can take from me what I have destined for myself. Both good and bad. As soon as we detect a negative thought, we flush out its source.

Applying the appropriate Buddhist principle, we give ourselves a Dharma talk. In this way, we replace negative thoughts with positive ones.