Page 32 - EH62

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 29

relationship to others is a key love our enemy and practice mercy, others are being hurt. A bodhisattva
practice for bodhisattvas, whose regardless of the circumstances. could never stand by and let that
primary commitment is to love So it is not only Buddhists who happen. A bodhisattva practices
and be of service to others. preach universal love, compassion, radical acts of protection, which

and care for the other. If anything, might sometimes be forceful. But
He goes on with his argument: The Christianity and the Judaism out force is avoided if at all possible
actions of others, no matter how of which Christianity arose have in favor of any gentler method
heinous, are not what make us even more radical teachings on love that stands even a slight chance
angry. The real cause of our anger than Buddhism does. It would be of working. Even where forceful
is our own unwise reaction to the hard to find a more thoroughgoing methods seem necessary, they are
action. If you hit me and I don’t expression of universal love and applied without anger or hatred but
mind, there’s no anger. If you wave care for others than that which is rather with sadness, strength, and
a stick through the air and I am not everywhere in the Sufi poetry of an eye to eventual healing as soon as
there to receive the blow, there’s Rumi. “If you don’t want to be dead, the conflict abates. EH
no anger. “You made me angry!” is never be without love. / Die in love
never accurate. No other person is if you want to be truly alive,” he
responsible for my anger, no matter writes.
how terrible their behavior may It seems to me that however much
have been. Anger is mine and mine justifying anger makes sense in
alone. When I seize my anger, train it theory, it doesn’t actually work
on you, and act, I am going to cause in practice, because retaliation—
a lot of harm. Acting in anger is like seeking what we call “justice”—
trying to throw a handful of shit at breeds further retaliation. In my
your enemy. You may or may not hit anger I decide that your conduct
her or him, but you will certainly is evil. I do not consult with you
soil yourself. about this; I decide for myself.
In our culture, anger is often viewed Then I engage in a battle with
positively. When someone says or you that goes on and on, possibly
does something wrong, especially for generations. We have seen
to you, someone you care about, this happen in personal as well
or an institution or a symbol you as world affairs—in families,
identify with, you should get angry. religious groups, nations. Insult
You shouldn’t just sit back and leads to insult, incident to incident, Extracted from Norman Fischer, The
acquiesce. Justice, as well as your war to war. Even if the warring World Could Be Otherwise, Boston:
dignity and self-respect, is served by parties are happy to go on with Shambhala, 2019. Pp 224. US$17.95.
your anger. By extension, a society their aggression, innocent people www.shambhala.com
is best served when it is made up of always end up being hurt. In the
individuals who take this attitude, end someone will have to help the
whose anger won’t let them sit idly warring parties heal. Or bury them.
by as bad guys do bad things, and If peace and concern for others is
who will collectively pursue such the bodhisattva path, it’s clear that
bad guys anywhere in the world anger must be dissolved.
with state power and might. Trying to practice love and
compassion, and letting go of anger,
But our culture also has the opposite doesn’t mean acquiescing when
idea. Jesus’s radical teaching is to harm is done, especially when