Dear friends, last night I talked about how to react
when you see things that are not to your liking.
This is the quotation from the sutra.
A wise person, when she has some sorrow,
suffering in herself, some difficulties,
would like to ask herself these questions.
I have some sorrow within me.
What could I do in order to be free
from the sorrow and to transform it?
What have I done in order to free myself from that sorrow?
Have I succeeded in doing so?
Whom have I asked the assistance
in helping me in this kind of practice
so that I can free myself from my sorrow, my suffering?
Have I consulted my teacher about
how to transform the suffering in me?
Have I consulted my brothers and sisters in Dharma
in order to be free myself about
how to free myself from the sorrow I presently have?
An unwise people when they have sorrow
within them, they ask these questions.
Who has wronged me?
Who has caused my suffering, my sorrow?
How could I do in order to tell people,
to show people that I am a victim of injustice,
of wrong doing on the part of the other people?
How can I justify myself as only.. the fact that I am only the victim.
the suffering has been caused by him or by her?
How can I punish him so that I get relief?
How can I make him, her suffer
so that I can feel better?
What could I do so that the person suffer a lot
so that next time he will not dare to do that to me again?
To whom should I talk about my suffering, share my suffering?
Whom can support us in opposing the other person?
How to make that person not existing
so that he will not be able to continue to make me suffer?
Where should I go in order to avoid contact with
that person so that I don't have to talk to him,
to see his face, and to work together?
These are the questions by the unwise person
every time he has sorrow and suffering within him.
I guess that the Buddha was trying to say that
every one of us has the right to suffer.
But the practitioner, if we call ourselves
a practitioner, we don't know we do not have
the right not to practice.
The non-practitioner, yes, he has the right to suffer
and the right not to practice.
But we are a practitioner.
We have the right to suffer but we do not have
the right not to practice.
And the practice is to ask oneself.
The question is suggested by the Buddha.
I have sorrow within me.
What can I do in order to transform
the suffering and to be free from it?
What have I done?
Have I succeeded?
Whom can I ask to support me in this practice?
Have I asked my teacher
how to practice in order to get out of my sorrow?
Have I asked my Dharma brother, Dharma sister,
how to practice in order to free myself from my sorrow?
I think this may be very helpful to
write down this questions
to read again every time you find yourself caught
in the sorrow, the suffering.