There is an old saying, that before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you have a pair of their shoes, and you are a mile away 🙂
But seriously, it is easy to see the faults in another when you are only seeing things from your point of view.
There is a wise Buddhist saying that says ‘we hate in others, what we refuse to see in ourselves’. Before you start picking on someone for their faults, make sure that you don’t have the same faults yourself.
Seeing the other persons viewpoint takes wisdom, courage and compassion, particularly in the heat of the moment. But taking a few seconds to allow yourself to become mindful, and then trying to reach a balanced view will do no harm, and may help resolve the issue once and for all.
There are times when we need to be reminded of the important things in life. When distractions come along it’s all too easy to get side tracked and let our practice slip. It isn’t that we forget, it’s just that sometimes life can get in the way, albeit temporarily.
The China Study is a book that can really get under your skin. Having already rid my diet of meat and fish many years ago, I have turned from Vegetarian to Vegan in the past eight months, hence adding dairy and any animal derived products to my list of ‘banned’ substances. However, having put effort into researching the pros of such a diet, I needed to investigate the alternate view.
Buddhist Practice is rather like a dog, for life, and not just for Christmas, and must be part of your very being.
September is here and so, today at least, was the sunshine. After an early start, a quick breakfast, a couple of hours hedge cutting and a whizz round the shops, we found ourselves in Bristol Zoo as planned.
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