Hi Jill,
I have been struggling with my reaction to the violence being inflicted upon the wildlife in the fields beside our home. I had felt so at peace and fortunate when we moved to the country, until I had to deal with seeing /hearing beautiful animals being mamed and killed. In a nutshell I took action against the hunters and the landowner, gone to court over my actions, and when actions were taken against me in the form of a hate crime by the hunters, no justice was served. I found out that my spouse has been handling other incidents without my knowledge until recently, which has brought anger and hate into my thoughts. It is not only my love of animals, but it is the safety concerns, and the fact that the landowner himself does not hunt. I had begged him to stop allowing the hunting, asked if we could buy the fields or even pay him not to let hunters to hunt. The only progress I made with talking to landowner and writing a letter, was that he said he would let us know ahead of time so I could leave my home and we could keep our dogs indoors while they were hunting. He has not done this. Yesterday I decided that if I took the vow of the Five Precepts it would help me regain my self control I feel I've lost with cultivating loving kindness towards all. Regarding karma, I am aware that even if I take no action, my spouse will, and his karma will not be beneficial to changing society. Also I am aware that my being 'happy' when the karma catches up with those I feel are hurting others is also not good karma. Mediation has helped along with the Buddhist teachings, but it takes time ! I apprecitate all the information I learn from this group. Thank you, Jackie > for example, i feel that if we want to reduce violence in our society, > then we have to make some effort at creating a humane environment for > people to live in. at the same time i recognize that no matter how > unfairly i feel i've been treated, it is my responsibility (at least > to try) not to echo that cruelty back into the world. > > i guess this comes back to the notion that "our only real possessions > are our actions". so, i would agree that we are responsible for how > we respond to our feelings (including shaping new feelings). but > that feelings may arise from an environment which is beyond my control. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/WwRTUD/SOnJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
