"Don't just sit there" said the Buddha, "do something."
"Don't just do something" said the Buddha, "just sit." --- In [email protected], Kristy McClain <healthyplay1@...> wrote: > Steve, Reflecting, my heart tells me to share something else. > In my life experience, I have learned that enabling others to stay in their own behaviors, addictions, bigotry, violence and the like, by soothing them or offering a "soft-spot-to-land" rarely works. More often than not, in due time--they are worse off later on, and they created more chaos and suffering for self and others. Holding one's own, and others feet to the fire as they say can be the among the most effective way to "wake them up"-- before they suffer tragic life consequences. We just witnessed something here in AZ. I admit that I don't understand ideas like karma /re-birth. I shut up and learn when discussions about lineages, practices, historical accounts and so on dominate the thread-line. I'm here to learn, and do--as time permits. That said, while I deeply understand your point on evoking hate, greed, delusion, and negativity, I think my perspective is a bit different. I don't believe that avoiding or preventing all suffering is a good thing. We all have to be confronted with our own hate, greed, delusion in order to recognize it in ourselves, and find a means to resolve it peacefully. It is, in my view, confronting the shadows within that serve us--and others. I realized some years ago that being the warmest, sweetest, gentlest person is not authentic with who I am, or why I exist in this incarnation. I am very loving-- but indeed, confronting. While it doesn't always taste good to others, my role is as necessary as any other. Beyond that, I don't always do the right thing. I am mindful of the instruction, "First-- do no harm". I apologize if I did so here. k
