Only if people discover compassion for themselves will they be able to confront those they hold accountable for polluting our seas and cutting down our forests.
"In Buddhism we speak of collective action," he says. "Sometimes something wrong is going on in the world and we think it is the other people who are doing it and we are not doing it.
"But you are part of the wrongdoing by the way you live your life. If you are able to understand that, not only you suffer but the other person suffers, that is also an insight.
"When you see the other person suffer you will not want to punish or blame but help that person to suffer less. If you are burdened with anger, fear, ignorance and you suffer too much, you cannot help another person. If you suffer less you are lighter more smiling, pleasant to be with, and in a position to help the person.
/Thich Nhat Hanh
和朋友談起父母對孩子的求好心切,考試七十多分是不夠好,考到九十九分該很了不起吧?不是,你可能得到的反應是:為甚麼不是一百分?
你知道自己內裡的critical voice嗎?那由小到大被父母、長輩不停地告訴你你不夠好的聲音。
於是你不停地鞭策自己,老覺得自己做得不夠好。應該更好。
有時候聽輔導對象因微小事件責備自己,我問:那是誰的聲音?誰說你不好/不對/不該?
有時對方會回答:是我自己的聲音。
它變成了你自己的聲音。
可不可以,你沒殺人放火,你努力生活,努力活著,你已經好得不得了呢?(你知道做人有多累!)
可不可以,你是你自己,現在的你,你是該被尊重、呵護及疼愛的呢?
可不可以,如果別人不懂得尊重你,可你自己尊重、呵護及疼愛自己呢?
對自己仁慈。寛愛。
我讀一行禪師這段文字,想到的是好多人對自己的殘忍。漠視自己諸般感受,所有的悲痛、哀傷、憤怒、失落,全被鎮壓,隔離。
被問起好不好,好多人會說:還不是這樣!
這樣是怎樣呢?
你的感受是甚麼呢?
這一刻。
如果你問候自己的心,你的心在說甚麼?