Violence

"Never speak harsh words, for they rebound upon you." - The Buddha
"I'm rubber, you're glue, what ever you say to me bounces off me and sticks to you..." - Anonymous 2nd grader

When we think of violence, often images of physical aggression come to mind, yet on a daily basis, most of us refrain from actually striking someone. Yes, the thought might cross our mind, like when you're in a rush and the jackass in front of you is writing a check and you want to smack him upside the head and say "Can't you see I'm in a hurry, and who pays by check anymore?" Aside from the likely assault charge, for obvious reasons, that is not the way most of us choose to conduct our lives.

The violence we are likely to commit is through our speech. Is that guy paying by check really a "jackass." Did the person who cut you off really also have a history of having sexual relations with his mother?  Are you really going to "Give your dog something to bark about" if he doesn't shut up?  Do you feel any better after yelling at someone? You might in the short term, but in the long term, you have lost sight of what you and the other person (or dog) have in common, and of your own basic humanity. In this Dhammapada passage about violence, we are reminded that our actions have consequences: "the fool in his mischief lights the fire in which one day he must burn."

If we stop ourselves from blurting things out and instead seek to understand what is actually getting us upset and further if we can put ourselves in the other person's (or dog's shoes), we will not say something that we will regret. In our frustration, we need to remember to be "Like a broken gong, be still, be silent."

Please keep this in mind this holiday season when I am sure we will all have ample time to practice.