Friends:
Cruelty, Brutality, Mercilessness & Revengefulness are diluted Hate:
How to cure these painful derivatives of Cruelty:
1: Review the Danger in Cruelty like this:
'Ooh this can bring me to a bad destination, the downfall, to pain, even
to hell!'
'Ooh this is a path of thorns, an evil way, a dark state, conflict,
violence, pain!'
2: How does a friend dwell pervading one direction with
his heart endued with pity (karuna) ?
Just as he would feel pity on seeing an unlucky, unfortunate person, so he
pervades
all beings with infinite pity. Therefore first of all he imagines a poor
man, unlucky,
unfortunate, in every way a fit object for pity, ugly, reduced to utter
misery, with hands
and feet cut off, sitting in the shelter for the helpless, with an empty
pot in front of him,
with maggots oozing from sores on hands and legs, moaning, infinite pity
should be felt
for him in this way: 'This being has been reduced to utter misery! If he
just could be freed
from this misery...' Then later one can arouse the same pity & compassion
for a neutral person
and later even any wrong-doing person! This is mastery of pity: Compassion
even with an Evil One!
3: All wrong doing is caused by blindness and craving. A
real pity for the wrong-doers!
All wrong-doers will thus suffer immensely in the future. How
sad for these beings!
4: Begin and Cultivate meditation on Infinite pity:
Sit down a silent & empty place with closed eye and beam from this the
heart:
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating Awareness of
infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating examination
of infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating energetic
infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating joyous
infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating stilled
infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating concentrated
infinite pity.
May I and all beings be free from all cruelty by cultivating imperturbable
infinite pity.
Beaming first out in front, then right, then left, then down below and so
also up above:
May all beings be free from suffering, pain and
frustration. May all beings live happily.
May all beings be free from hate, cruelty, brutality, mercilessness &
revengefulness!
|
One who is virtuous and wise
shines like a blazing fire;
like a bee collecting nectar
he acquires wealth by harming none. Digha Nikāya III, 188 |
May all creatures, all living things,
all beings one and all,
experience good fortune only.
May they not fall into harm.
Anguttara Nikāya II, 72 |
Solitude is happiness for one who is content,
who has heard the Dhamma and clearly sees.
Non-affliction is happiness in the world
harmlessness towards all living beings.
Udana 10 |
see also:
Detachment and Compassion in Early Buddhism,
AN VI.13,
SN XLII.8,
AN V.161
Updated:
22 Nov 2009
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_to_Cure_Cruelty_and_Revengefulness.htm