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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 29

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Some will say, “it is inevitable that way he deals with circumstances merits.” I wish that all of you will
humans lose their temper! As long and issues that arise. So if we lose mindfully cultivate a heart of
as we have a good heart, what is our temper when things go against kindness, strengthen your patience,
wrong with an occasional temper our will, it means we are not and not let your work in cultivation
tantrum?” But if you have a good cultivated enough, We must work be wasted in a moment of fury.
heart, why should you tarnish your harder to cultivate a gentle and
own image? broad heart, so that all of our speech If you were keeping score or being
and actions are as refreshing and greedy, and cannot hold in your
In an ancient Chinese idiom, “Hair soothing as the spring breeze. temper, this complicate issues,
of fury rises to heaven,” describes it means you have not properly
how the hair of an angry person A soft and modest heart allows cared for your heart and mind.
is all pointed upwards. Like the us to treat everyone with a gentle Cultivation is constantly reflecting
chickens fighting, their feathers voice and demeanor. There is one and repenting immediately when
are sticking out upright. It is the way that we can check if our heart you err. If we do not confess
same way when a person loses his is modest enough. When we made our mistakes, it is an even
temper. We can draw a sketch of a mistake in our speech or action, bigger mistake. When this habit
a person, whose hair is sticking can we readily say, “Sorry, that was accumulates, we will obstruct
out, eyebrows are standing, eyes my fault!” It is just a few simple ourselves. So the path of cultivation
are wide open and staring, and his words, but many find it hard to say is to mindfully care for your heart
teeth baring. Is this a good look? them because they are not willing and be vigilant in your actions. All
Why should we make ourselves to confess their mistakes or they in all, everyone must be mindful in
look so despicable? And when we know that they are at fault but find every second of every day! EH
lose our temper, we lose control of it demeaning to apologize to other
our actions and speech. It makes people. These attitudes accumulate Source: Master Cheng Yen’s
everything worse. and make us stubborn. teaching on July 9, 1998, Excerpt
from Master’s Journal 1998 Fall.
How can we tell how well cultivated There is a saying: “a fury of Translated by Hui Ying Chin /
a person is? We can tell from the ignorance will burn a forest of Edited by Dennis Lee