Sometimes the only solution is to alter our own thinking and attitude in the moment.
By David Jones
How do we meet the goal of Right Thought when confronted with hostile people?
Buddha asked a disciple about that very thing. Buddha rubbed his hands together, “Okay, Punna. I think I’ve explained what you need to know. So what country are you moving to?”
“Master, I’m going to go live in a country called Sunaparanta.”
Buddha’s eyes widened. “Wow! Punna, those folks are pretty fierce and not very civilized. What will you do if they call you names, make fun of you, and hurl abusive insults at you?”
“Oh. Well if they insult me and make fun of me, I’ll say, ‘These Sunaparanta folks are very civilized, because at least they’re not hitting me with their fists.”
“That’s good. But what if they do hit you with their fists?”
“I guess I’ll say, ‘These folks are very civilized. At least they aren’t pelting me with rocks.’”
“Yes, but what if they haul off and hit you with rocks?”
“Hmm. I’ll say, ‘These folks are very civilized. After all, at least they aren’t beating me with sharp sticks.’”
“And if they do hit you with sharp sticks?”
“I guess I’ll say, ‘These people are very civilized. At least it’s sticks and not knives.'”
“And if they start stabbing you with knives?”
“I’ll say, ‘These people are very civilized. They’re stabbing me but at least they’re just wounding me and not trying to kill me. I wouldn’t stand a chance.'”
“So what’s your plan if they end up stabbing you to death?”
Punna thought for a moment.”I’d say, ‘These are Buddha’s disciples. They’re so disgusted with all their suffering in mind, body, and life, that they wanted someone to kill them.’ But since I wouldn’t kill them, they killed me. That’s how I’d see it, O Blessed Master.”
Buddha smiled. “That’s perfect, dear Punna. Because you possess such calm and centered self-control, I think you’ll do fine living with the people of Sunaparanta. Head on down there when you’re ready.”
Punna’s solution to the challenge of living around uncivilized people wasn’t to judge them or to avoid them. He was determined to go down there and help folks sync up with their Buddha Nature. Since he couldn’t just change the people—a trap folks fall into even today—he chose to manage his thinking. In fact, one translation of this sutta has Buddha essentially asking, “Okay, if they do that thing to you, what then would you think of them?”
Buddha’s concerns were for this disciple; going to a place he couldn’t handle would just set him and them up to suffer, and that’s not something Buddha was keen to do.
Today when we encounter people who talk and behave in an uncivilized manner, maybe we can try and adjust our thinking to meet the challenge, not take our gloves off and throw hands. Maybe they’re not behaving in a healthy or respectable manner, but yelling at them and calling them names won’t help that.
Sometimes the only solution is to alter our own thinking and attitude in the moment.
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Photo: Pixabay
Editor: Dana Gornall
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